T&T women blunder

T&T will have to wait another four years for a chance at its first female Olympic medal after the 4x100m relay team blundered in the final,  at the London Olympics, yesterday in London, England. The local team never made it around the track after messing up the first hand over between Michelle Lee Ahye and T&T’s most experienced women’s sprinter Kelly-Ann Baptiste. The transition failed to be completed. Ahye struggled to get the baton to the outstretched hand of Baptiste, who got off quickly as her teammate approached. A distraught Ahye slammed the baton on to the surface of the track as she saw T&T’s best chance for a medal slip away. All Kai Selvon and Semoy Hackett, who was to run the anchor leg, could do, was stand and watch their Olympic experience come to a devastating end without even getting chance to challenge for a spot on the podium.

 

USA team of Tianna Madison, Allyson Felix, Bianca Knight and Carmelita Jeter raced away to cop the gold in 40.82 seconds, a new world record. The Jamaicans ran a national record of 41.41, to take the silver while Ukraine bagged the bronze in 42.04. Baptiste could not hold back the tears as she commented: “It was really hard. We trained hard. It feels like you trained hard and came up short. It’s just really disappointing. “I can’t question that (the failed hand-over) right now so I’m just going to keep my head up right now and keep pushing.” T&T had high hopes of being among the top three finishers after breaking the national record, the previous evening with a time of 42.31 in placing second in heat one, to also automatically qualify for the final. Baptiste could not explain what went wrong. “I just couldn’t tell you I just didn’t get the stick.” The quartet dropped their heads as they walked away from the Olympic Stadium, clearly devastated by the outcome.

 

Women’s 4 x 100m Relay Final

 

1 United States 40.82

2 Jamaica 41.41

3 Ukraine 42.04

4 Nigeria 42.64

5 Germany 42.67

6 Netherlands 42.70

7 Brazil 42.91

DNF Trinidad & Tobago