By Orin Davidson
Kadacia Baird endured a rough introduction to the Millrose Games senior ranks when she literally tumbled out of the women’s 400 metres yesterday in New York.
In a strong field, Baird’s race ended half of the way when she fell at the 200 metre mark after colliding with two competitors around the Armory track in the city’s biggest indoor meet.
At the time the young Guyanese was moving into second place before she went down while attempting to overtake eventual race winner Nastaha Hastings, a world championship medal medalist who easily won the two lap event from fellow United States Olympian Phyllis Francis.
Baird, a Central American and Caribbean gold medalist and world junior runner-up, left the track in tears on the shoulders of her coach Shaun Dietz, who explained his charge was not injured.
He admitted it was a learning experience for the 21-year-old sprinter who is preparing for an intense 2016 outdoor season.
Dietz pointed out that he is working on developing the mental toughness Baird requires to compete with the world’s best at the senior level.
However, the Jamaica-born coach is confident his sprinter will give a good account of herself this year.
Baird is now based in New York at New York Technical College after transferring from the Unversity of Nebraska where she spent two years on a scholarship that resulted in a lull in her track career.
National men’s 400 metres record holder Winston George did not earn an invite in his specialist event at Millrose and had to content himself, doing a relay for clubs in which his team placed third. George, though, is upbeat and intends to have a full season in North America preparing for the Rio Olympics, being the lone Guyanese qualifier so far in athletics.
Jeremy Bascom, a regular at New York meets was the only other Guyanese in individual competition, placing seventh in the men’s 60m, which was won by Canadian sprint sensation Andre DeGrasse.
American star Allyson Felix copped the women’s equivalent.
Mat Centrowitz, who has Guyanese parentage ran away with the feature Wannamaker Mile event, title. The American is expected to lead his country’s challenge at the 1500m in Rio.
