By BRENT STUBBS

Chief Sports Editor

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

BAHAMIAN Olympic sprinter Wanya McCoy has been inactive for the past five months nursing a left quadriceps injury that sidelined him for both the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s Indoor and Outdoor Championships.

But the 22-year-old University of Florida Gators’ senior said he’s eager to get back on the track when he returns home for the Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations’ National Open Track and Field Championships from August 1-3 at the Thomas A. Robinson Track and Field Stadium.

McCoy, who represented The Bahamas in both the 100 and 200 metres at the 2024 Olympics in Paris France, said his ultimate goal this year is to qualify for the World Championships in Tokyo, Japan from September 13-21.

“I had two holes in my legs and couldn’t walk,” said McCoy in assessing the injury he sustained. “I was on crutches and and had to learn to walk again.

“To be honest, it was devastating and at one point, I wanted to quit track, but I couldn’t do it.”

McCoy, who had transferred from Clemson University to Florida, said he had to go back in to the “lab” to refine his body, mind and soul.

“I did everything you needed to do to come back,” he recalled. 

“I had to learn how to run and to walk again after having a major injury and this was my first major injury.

“But mentally, I just wanted to stay in the house all day and play games, but my friends and teammates encouraged me to get out and come back around the track. I started treatment, started going to classes again and I started running again.”

That was in April after he bounced back from the injury in February. But in coming back a little bit too early, he reinjured the quad.

For the next month or so he was back in rehab just trying to strengthen his body without doing any workout sessions because when he tried to just jog, he was in pain.

It wasn’t until around the NCAA Outdoor Nationals in June when McCoy was given the green light to resume competitive training for the BAAA Nationals next weekend. 

“I finally feel like I am back 100 per cent,” said McCoy, who will return home from Florida on Tuesday. “I feel like how I felt before I got hurt. I had some runs in practice today which showed me that I am really back in shape. So I feel more confident than how I felt last week.” At the BAAA Nationals, McCoy said the line goal that he has set for himself is to attain the World’s qualifying times of 10.00 and 20.16 for the men’s 100 and 200m respectively and boo his ticket to Tokyo.

So far, Carlos Brown Jr, based in Nassau and trained by Andrew Tynes has the fastest time posted this year of 10.04, followed by Grand Bahamian Terrence Jones at 10.08 with fellow Olympian Ian Kerr in third with 10.22.

In the 200m, McCoy came through before the injury in a leading time of 20,35 just ahead of Olympic and world champion Steven Gardiner, who did 20.37 and Kerr in 20.56.

In a training camp with some of the top competitors j the world, McCoy said he was able to get back to the level he was before the injury. Now he just want to prove to everyone else that he is indeed back.

“My biggest goal right now is to make the World Championship team,” he projected.

He’s not projecting any specific times for the Nationals. He said he just want to put his best foot forward because there are a number of competitors here who can put him.

Following the Nationals, McCoy said he and the other sprinters have made a commitment to go to Grand Bahama and attempt to qualify the men’s 4 x 100m relay for Tokyo.

“It’s been a while since The Bahamas have fielded a men’s 4 x 100 mc relay team for a major international event,” McCoy said.

“We did have a team that competed in the NACAC New Life Invitational last year. That team of Terrence Jones, Antoine Andrews, Ian Kerr and myself ran well.

“But we’re hoping that the BAAA would see to it 5st we have a relay camp were we can work on our exchanges and not just wait for the event for us to go out there and perform.”

McCoy said the top sprinters, who are so closely connected to each other as friends, are prepared to stay at home and train together in their bid to qualify for the World’s.

McCoy thanked Jones, Andrews and Kerr, who all helped to keep him motivated and grounded to get back on track as he went through his ordeal.

McCoy is a Berry Island native who came to New Providence to play basketball at Doris Johnson with his older brother Malachi. Eventually he switched over to track and completed high school at Queen’s College before he went off to Clemson to start his college career before he transferred to Florida.

On May 11th, 2024 in Gainesville, Florida, McCoy has ran his lifetime best of 10.02 in the 100m and 19.93 in the 200m, qualifying him for the Olympics. 

In his global debut at the senior level, McCoy got eliminated on the first round of the 100m on Paris, but he reached the semifinal of the 200m.