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Saint Lucia’s track dreams at this year’s Commonwealth Games remain alive after the men’s 4x100m relay team qualified on Saturday at the Alexander Stadium in Birmingham, United Kingdom.
The quartet of Delan Edward, Lenyn Leonce, Michael Joseph and Stephan Charles ran a record 39.96 seconds in the Men’s 4x100m Relay – Round 1 Heat 2, finishing fourth.
Nigeria took first place with 38.85s, with Kenya and Gambia taking second and third place with 38.92 and 39.77 respectively.
The Saint Lucia team’s performance on Saturday broke the previous National Record of 40.96 seconds.
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“Basically, we were well prepared for the 4x100m relay,” said Henry Bailey, head coach of the track and field team, after the race. “I mean, the boys worked extremely hard and, of course, one of our main objectives was achieved, in that we were able to set a new national record.”
He added: “It’s our first men’s 4x100m relay team at the Commonwealth Games. Before that, we had a 4x100m relay team at the Panama Games.”
Sunday’s finals will feature Nigeria, Kenya, Gambia, Saint Lucia, England, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana and Singapore.
Bailey said the team is now focused on resetting their goals to see if they can improve on their time and place in the men’s 4x100m relay finals on Sunday.
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Team captain Lenyn Leonce said the win was a relief for the team, as it had made several mistakes in the race.
“We had a poor performance in the beginning. Our exchanges were not as good as they should have been. But it’s something we’re working on and we’re happy to get the new National Record and be in the finals,” explained Leonce.
As for expectations for Sunday’s finals, he said: “Anything can happen in the finals. We’re just going to go out there and do our best. Whatever the outcome, we’ll be fine with it. Hopefully, we will get a new national record in what we just set.
Source: Commonwealth Games (Saint Lucia). Header photo: Saint Lucia’s men’s 4x100m relay team after their record-breaking achievement at Alexander Stadium in Birmingham, United Kingdom.
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