77.8 F
Cruz Bay
Friday, March 29, 2024
HomeNewsArchivesV.I. TRACK STARS COMPETE IN WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

V.I. TRACK STARS COMPETE IN WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

Aug. 28, 2003 — Adrian Durant, the top male sprinter in the Virgin Islands, and Valma Bass, a former Olympian, have ended a long season with solid finishes in the 9th World Championships in Paris.
Bass, a graduate of Charlotte Amalie High School and a competitor in the Sydney Olympics, finished 6th in her heat with a time of 24.16, short of her best-performance 23.65 for the year. Bass has an all-time best of 23.07 and was an outstanding sprinter for NCAA national champion Louisiana State University. She is making a comeback after taking more than a year off from competition.
For more on Bass's accomplishments this year, see the St. Thomas Source article, Federation builds strong women's track teams.
Durant was a walk-on athlete at the University of South Carolina, where he had an impressive indoor and outdoor season with a V.I. record in the 200-meters in the World Indoor Championship in Birmingham, England, in March and a Bronze Medal at the CARIFTA in Barbados in April.
He ran 21.11 in lane 8 in Paris Wednesday, and took 5th place in his preliminary round, just off his personal best of 20.89, which he ran earlier this summer.
"He is one of youngest sprinters in the competition and definitely has a great future," said Charles Golphin, Durant's coach from childhood and the V.I. coach in Paris.
Durant is the son of Celeste Durant of St. Croix and an honor student who has finished his sophomore year at USC.
For more on Durant's accomplishments this year, see the St. Croix Source article, Adrian Durant advances to Pan Am Junior finals.
Both athletes will continue to train in hopes of competing in the Athens Olympic Games next summer.

Publisher's note : Like the St. Thomas Source now? Find out how you can love us twice as much — and show your support for the islands' free and independent news voice … click here.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
Keeping our community informed is our top priority.
If you have a news tip to share, please call or text us at 340-228-8784.

Support local + independent journalism in the U.S. Virgin Islands

Unlike many news organizations, we haven't put up a paywall – we want to keep our journalism as accessible as we can. Our independent journalism costs time, money and hard work to keep you informed, but we do it because we believe that it matters. We know that informed communities are empowered ones. If you appreciate our reporting and want to help make our future more secure, please consider donating.