Ashley Irby came close to breaking Taylor Ashley Bean’s 1,000 metres indoor record when she placed second at the Liberty Kickoff Track Meet at the Liberty Indoor Track Complex in Lynchburg, Virginia, last weekend.

Irby, a freshman at Elon University in North Carolina, finished second in a time of 3min 03.35sec, missing Bean’s record time of 3:02.98, which was set in 2014.

Irby battled with team-mate Anna Twomey, also a freshman, for first place. Twomey’s time was 3:02.98, the same as Bean’s record.

Meanwhile, the Bermuda National Athletics Association has sent a team of 16 athletes and three coaches to Bahamas this weekend to compete in the Star Performers Track Classic, in hopes of meeting qualifying standards for the Carifta Games which Bermuda is hosting.

Athletes are unable to compete locally as the National Stadium’s 400 metres track is being resurfaced before the Games in April.

“This is a great time and good preparation for the Carifta Games 2020,” said Donna Raynor, president of BNAA. “The Bermuda Carifta team is shaping up to be good and with so many of our athletes overseas competing we should be looking at a great quality team for the Games.

“We are trying to give our local athletes some overseas competition in order for them to qualify for the Games and gain exposure. They will be competing against some of the athletes who will be competing at the Carifta games as well.

“With the NSC not being available we have had to look at other opportunities for our athletes with at least three overseas events lined up between now and the Games.”

Coaches Devon Bean, Terry-Lynn Paynter and Freddie Evans are accompanying the team to the Bahamas.