Spikes05 May 2015


Inside Baha-mania

FacebookTwitterEmail

Bahamania

The second edition of the IAAF World Relays proved to be even more explosively fantastic than last year's inaugural event. Here's what we loved about the Bahamian baton fest.

1. The Atlantis Resort

The athletes' base for the weekend was a hit. Where else would you find world and Olympic medallists take the Leap of Faith on the day of a competition? Even South Park's Cartman approves.

How Today Was Set Up...🏄🏽 #LeapOfFaith

A photo posted by SŃ‚even Gardiner (@_speedystevie) on


2. #StrikeAPose

After last year's rock'n'roll style track entrances, athletes this time around took their posing to the next level. Some even skipped the warm-up track to practice their routines. More of this, please.


3. Team Spirit

The noise that the crowd in the Thomas A. Robinson Stadium generated when the Bahamian athletes took to the track really had to be heard to be believed.

The enthusiasm from the stands was infectious, perfectly illustrated by Kyle Merber's fervent support behind his record-breaking American teammates in the men's distance medley relay.


4. Family Affair

We don't know what Monsieur Borlee fed his kids when they were growing up but boy, could we all do with a plate of it. We loved seeing the three Belgium Borlee brothers and Julien Watrin (cheered on by Papa Borlee) survive the chaos and set a new national record for third. Ahead of them, the USA team bagged gold while Bahamian legend Chris Brown crossed the line for silver.


5. Aint No Party Like a Baha Party

Despite a brief black-out the athletes, inspired by the incessant Junkanoo band, managed to keep the party going with their own tunes before the band could strike up again. No one could stay in their seats, even the legendary Frankie Fredericks had to get up for a little boogie.

Hon the lads #worldrelays #Bahamas #atlantis #closingparty #carnival

A video posted by Catherine McManus (@runcatrun) on


6. Bahamazing

Allow us to give ourselves a pat on the back for this one. Our coverage of the World Relays last year influenced the whole branding of this year's event. As a result, SPIKES (and our dispatch correspondent) became famous on the Caribbean island and even made the national sports news. All hail SPIKES!

World Relays Hashtag

That's our hashtag! #justsayin