“IT IS a very special feeling to represent my country, and we [the team] are happy for the support that we get from our fans back home,” said Kirani James, the reigning 400m World Junior champion after representing his island nation Grenada at the Penn Relays two weeks ago. The young Grenadian 4×4 relay team of Joel Redhead (47.6secs), James (44.6), Kenion Herry (47.80) and Rondell Bartholomew (44.74), in that order, finished 3rd in 3mins 04.69secs behind the USA Red (3:02.40) and the Bahamas (3:02.79) in the USA vs. the World event.
James was given the green light by the University of Alabama (“Crimson Tide”) to participate in the Penn Relays, in the hope of helping the Grenadian team qualify for the World Championships later this summer in Daegu. Their time of 3:04.69 just missed the qualifying standard of 3:04.00. The quartet will join forces again in the near future to meet the qualifying standard.
James’s split of 44.60secs on the second leg was the fastest of any runner in this year’s Penn Relays USA vs. the World Men 4×400, and he and his teammates received the greatest cheers from the mostly Jamaican fans.
“I am happy with the team’s performance; it was a team effort,” said James who refused to take any individual credit. He also said that the team’s performance indicates that they are on the right track and have a lot of work to do.
“We are trying to put Grenada on the map and we are motivated to do so,” said the 18-yr-old ¼-miler.
A Grenada Boys’ Secondary School graduate, Kirani James spoke of the outpouring of support the team received, not only from his hometown of Gouyave but also from the entire island. “The supports of the Grenadian fans keep us fueled and motivated to do great things” said the winner of the 2010 Grenadian Sportsman of the Year.
With an indoor personal best of 44.80, James, the reigning SEC Indoor 400m Champion has his mind set on the SEC Outdoor Championship this weekend (May 12-15) in Athens, Georgia. Representing the Crimson Tide, he simply has been dominant in the Conference Championships and was the 2010 SEC Freshman Runner of the Year Award recipient.
In speaking about his goal for the SEC Championships, James said: “I am going out there to run and to improve on my personal best, and great things will happen.
Incidentally, James has not yet gone sub-45 in the outdoor individual 400m. His personal best outdoor is 45.01, and he has a season best 45.12. Based on his great indoor season and his Penn Relay clocking, he seems poised to run his first outdoor sub-45 in the flat 400m this weekend. -Edited by Desmond Palmer