Nassau (Bahamas): Yohan Blake made up for the absence of Usain Bolt by claiming a second gold at the IAAF World Relays, anchoring his Jamaican team to 4x100m victory in a second day of scintillating action on Sunday. Kenya earlier ensured another $50,000 came out of the bonus coffers as their middle-distance maestroes smashed another record, this time in the men’s 4x1500m.
But it was traditional powerhouses the United States who dominated the second and final day of the inaugural World Relays in the Bahamian capital, winning four of the six finals raced in a carnival atmosphere at a sell-out 15,000-seater Thomas A. Robinson stadium. There was also heartbreak for Blake’s female teammate Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce as the reigning two-time Olympic sprint champion was left with too much to do on the final leg of the 4x200m.
After two ropey baton exchanges, the “Pocket Rocket” who also claimed world 100m gold in Moscow last year and world indoor 60m gold in Sopot in March, could only look on as she ran her quartet home in third behind the winning US team and silver medallists Britain. “We’re happy with the bronze and the national record,” said Fraser-Pryce.
“It was a great opportunity for me to be part of this inaugural event and I’m happy to have raced here,” Fraser Pryce added. There was no such drama for Blake, the 2011 100m world champion steaming his team of Nesta Carter, Nickel Ashmeade and Julian Forte home in 37.77 seconds, the US missing out on the final after being disqualified in the heats.
Ashmeade will also depart the Bahamas with a brace of golds after running alongside Blake in the world record-setting 4x200m effort on Saturday. “After our world and olympic golds, we wanted to confirm our number one position today,” said Blake, who missed last season with a troublesome hamstring but is now mulling a sprint double at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
