Grenada’s Rondell Bartholomew Sees Track As The Answer

By O’Neil A. Reid Posted on :4/2/2010

Grenadian native Rondell Bartholomew went to South Plains College in Texas on a mission. Clocking a personal best 21.09 secs in the 200m and 45.58 secs in the 400m outdoor, the 20-year-old freshman is ready for a rewarding outdoor season. Carifta & High School Bartholomew became the 2008 CARIFTA Games 400m champion, when he ran 46.86 secs to win in the Under 20 category. He was, however, dethroned in 2009 by his countryman Kirani James. Bartholomew finished second in 45.58 secs behind James, who won in 45.24 secs and erased Usain Bolt’s record of 46.35 secs. Bartholomew is a talented and versatile competitor. As a senior he led his high school (McDonald College) to the 2009 Grenadian Inter-Secondary Schools Athletics Championships. He won the 100m (10.50), was 2nd in the 200m (21.50) and 400m (46.00) and ran a leg on his team’s winning 4x1 and 4x4 relays. At the 2009 PanAm Junior Games in Port of Spain Trinidad, Bartholomew took 3rd place in the 400m in 46.61 secs, again behind James (45.43) and USA’s Tavaris Tate (45.50). Today, he is acclimatizing well in his relatively new environment, focusing on getting the best from the 2010 outdoor season. College Life & Looking Ahead At the end of the indoor season, Caribbean TrackLife caught up with Bartholomew to get an idea of how he’s doing. “I am adjusting well here at South Plains,” he said. “The weather is not bad but I haven’t seen any Grenadian food as yet. I have a lot of rice and mash potatoes [because] I do not like cheeseburgers.” He further noted that his training has been going well and that he is in the best shape of his life. “I am feeling very good and I am looking forward to the outdoor season,” he said. “My goal for this season is improve on my personal best in both the 200m and the 400m. I feel that I can run 44.39 secs in the 400m and below 20.50 in the 200m.” With a personal indoor best 47.01 secs in the 400m this past indoor season, the somewhat shy and reserved Barthlolomew made his intentions known when he posted 46.20 in the second meet of the outdoor season this past weekend. Rondell appreciates the opportunity given him by the coaching staff at South Plains College. Barthlolomew, one of six maternal siblings, expressed his desire to take full advantage of opportunities, noting that he was happy to be away from Grenadian and that he needed an environment where he can make something of himself. “I want my Mom to be proud of me. When you leave home you want to go back a different person” he reflected. “I am going to see how far track and field can take me.”