Ferguson takes Bahamas to relay glory

31 July 2002

Defending champions Australia were nowhere to be seen as the Bahamas grabbed gold in the women’s 4x100m final.

Ferguson celebrates Bahamas' relay gold

The Bahamas added to their growing reputation on the track, with their fourth gold medal of the Games.

The Jamaicans came home second, with England's women taking a hard fought bronze.

The Bahamas’ Debbie Ferguson brought her country home in a Games record time of 42.44. This capped off a magnificent few days for Ferguson whose gold medal makes her the first women since Australian, Lorraine Borre, in the 1970s to take the 100m, 200m, and 4x100m crowns.

Jamaican Veronica Campbell overcame England’s Abbey Oyepitan in the last 25m to claim the silver.

Campbell said: “It was great; I think one of my teammates ran off the mark a little, but everything else was fine. The Bahamas girls were good. They’ve been running together a while.”

Joice Maduaka got the English foursome off to a flying start with a display of superb bend running. The England baton changes were faultless, and the bronze medal was their reward.

Maduaka commented on the spirit within the English athletics team: “Watching Ashia doing so sell in the triple jump, we knew we had to get a medal. It gave us such a boost, seeing her on the big screen.

Australia finished fourth in a disappointing time of 43.72.