One time chary-branded sprinter Jeremy Bascom has, again, run himself onto the discussion pages of the Guyana’s track headlines. This time, the once perceived rile raiser comes up with a triumph to rouse the talking heads’ praise – a national record tie.
Bascom, last Friday put his name on the records register with a scintillating 10.19s run in Nebraska, USA. The time puts him alongside the legendary James ’Wren’ Gilkes who had done the same 100m time in September 1978 – a standing national record way older than Bascom, himself.
Running at the 2012 USATF National Club Championships, Bascom gave a hint of his feat with a 10.28s run to top the preliminaries’ field. He returned two hours later to discharge his potential and win the century, though his time was done in ‘still air’ compared to Gilkes’ almost 1m/s wind aid in Germany.
Bascom, a selectee for the 2012 Olympics, rued missing the Games’ 10.18s automatic qualification by an ID-bib thickness’. “Man, I could’ve got both the record and the Olympics standard with that run, but I was looking at the clock, racing it coming down to bottom,” he confessed.
The Guyanese representing Central Park T.C. had little human rivalry as the next three places finished in 10.32s, 10.36s and 10.55s, respectively. “This time surprises me ‘cause I was thinking, like, 10.4, 10.5 with this competition. But, it’s really good to get this time and be right up there with my idol.”
Now, Bascom may be loop-playing Bob Marley’s ‘Redemption Song’ after emancipating himself from other’s vitriol. Back in 2010, he drew the ire of Guyana’s track fraternity when he listed a time believed to be conjured to gain a seat to the Commonwealth Games in India.
Subsequently, he went on a sprint of salvation after failing to replicate the time in New Delhi. “I didn’t know what to expect ‘cause I ran in Jamaica and Trinidad and I was really tired knowing my body needs some rest because I’ve been going, like, back to back all the time,” he said in reference to a recent string of runs to lobby his London trip.
Bascom’s compatriot Aliann Pompey, who is also in the Guyanese Olympics squad, had it her own way, too. The multiple Guyana record-holder put down a double dose of golden runs at the meet. She started with a 52.10s (w2.0) canter to take the 400m, blitzing six-runner field by a whopping 3 seconds and some 20 meters, to put up 10 points for her Shore Athletic Track Club. It was the three-time Olympian’s fastest one-lapper in nearly a year since her 51.66s in South Korea.
The next day, the decorated Guyanese quarter miler who holds the 400m (51.61s) record for the 10-year old championships, returned to win the 200m in 23.64s (W2.0m/s) to get close to her personal best, but further from her rivals, again.
Bascom then crowned the meet for the Guyanese duo when he anchored his team to the gold in the Men’s 4x100m relay in a breezy 42.57s. However, it hasn’t been all smooth striding for Pompey and Bascom in the past weeks, with both being challenged on their selection to the Olympics. The two New York-based athletes are currently entered into the sporting spectacle with provisional qualifications, but should be buoyed by their recent performances.
No doubt, the showings signal a rounding into to form with prospects on peaking when they take the track in London, three weeks away.
