Just last weekend, a junior athlete who competes for The Bahamas, ran a junior national record time, but it will never be recognized as such given his current citizenship status.
In his first year at Western Texas College in Snyder, Texas, O’Jay Ferguson, ran a blistering 46.14 seconds in finishing second to American Vernon Norwood at the UTEP Springtime Invitational. That stunning time in El Paso, Texas, was under the junior national record time in the 400m, 46.34 seconds, that was set by Troy McIntosh 20 years ago.
Ferguson competes with the word ‘Bahamas’ across his chest. As a matter of fact, he’s the gold medalist from last year’s CARIFTA Track and Field Championships in the under-20 boys 400 meters (m), and also went on to lead The Bahamas to a gold medal in the under-20 boys 4x400m. Ferguson ran a time of 46.49 seconds to win the gold medal for The Bahamas at CARIFTA. The only problem is, he is yet to get his nationality papers sorted out. Ferguson attended high school here in The Bahamas, but his mother is Jamaican.
According to Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations (BAAA) President Mike Sands, NACAC rules permits Ferguson to run for The Bahamas at the regional level, but he is ineligible to represent The Bahamas at world level meets that are sanctioned by the International Association of Athletic Federations (IAAF). NACAC (North America, Central America and Caribbean Athletic Association) is an athletic body which represents one of six areas under the IAAF.
Be that as it may, Ferguson continues to represent The Bahamas at a very high level. The 18-year-old quarter-miler is the current National High School record holder in the 400m with a time of 47.65 seconds for Galilee Academy last year, and would have been the junior national record holder, if not for his nationality concerns. According to Sands, BAAA rules allow for him to be recognized as a national high school record holder, but not as a junior national record holder.
