The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS 

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

Shaunae Miller continues to make her decision for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in August a difficult one.

On Saturday in the JN Racers Grand Prix at the National Stadium in Kingston, Jamaica, Miller lowered her national 200m record to 22.05 seconds to take the title over American Jenna Prandini, who did 22.39.

The 22-year-old Miller pulled away from the field on the curve and coming onto the home stretch, she started to shut down with another 40m left, indicating that she still has enough in the tank to dip under the 22-second barrier.

Her winning time turned out to be the third fastest time in the world this year as she improved on her previous record of 22.14 that she ran in Kingston last year.

Miller is now toying with the idea of which event she will compete in during the Olympic Games as she also has the fastest time this year in the 400m in 49.69 that she did at the second Chris Brown Bahamas Invitational at the Thomas A Robinson National Stadium.

She will be home over the weekend of June 24-25 to compete in the BAAAs National Open Track and Field Championships and final Olympic trials at the same venue as the CBBI.

Also at the JN Racers Grand Prix, Tamara Myers picked up a second place finish in the women’s triple jump with 13.43m to trail Nadia Eke of Ghana, who won with 13.51m. Myers surpassed the qualifying standard of 13.40m with her performance.

Meanwhile, a number of Bahamians competed at the Star Athletics Pro Meet on Saturday at the Monte Verde Academy in St Montverde, Florida as they also prepare for the trip to Rio in August.

Leading the way was sprinter Anthonique Strachan as she makes her way back from surgery last year, albeit competing in the longer one-lap race to build on her endurance for the 200m.

Strachan, who opened her season on June 4 with a third place finish at the TruFit Athletics Sunshine Invitational Sprint Series at the University of Miami Track Complex in 52.80, improved to second place in the women’s 400m in 52.42. Jenn Martin-Evans won the race in 52.38.

Quartermiler Lanece Clarke was third in 52.80 in the 400m where the qualifying standard is 52.20. Clarke also came close to dipping under the Olympic qualifying standard of 23.20 when she placed 10th overall in the 200m in 23.22. American Candace Hill won the race in 22.38.

Also, Ivanique Kemp ran 13.41 for seventh in the women’s 100m hurdles. She will have to run at least 13.00 or faster in order to qualify for Rio. American Candice Price took the tape in 12.75.  Kemp qualified with the 11th best time of 13.52 in the preliminaries.

Making her comeback after a long hiatus, Grand Bahamian Nivea Smith posted a time of 11.88 for 16th place in the women’s 100m that was won by Murielle Ahoure in 10.76. Smith did 11.71 for qualifying 21st in the preliminaries. She will need to run at least 11.32 in order to qualify for the Olympics or finish in the top 4-6 at the BAAAs Nationals to get in on the women’s 4 x 100m relay team.

On the men’s side, Adrian Griffith, already qualified for Rio, advanced out of the preliminaries with a ninth place finish in 10.22. He came back in the final and clocked 10.11 for seventh place, again going under the Olympic qualifying standard of 10.16.

Griffith, 31, also contested the 200m where he was fifth in 20.52. American Tyson Gay stopped the clock 20.21. Griffith just missed qualifying for his second Olympic event as he was of the standard of 20.50.

“I Feel pretty good right now. I just came back from Europe and just jumped right in a race,” Griffith said. “I was trying to work on some stuff because I had a really beat up European circuit. I just needed a race to get fine toned before Nationals and Rio. I was hoping to go a little faster, but I will take what I got. Thank God for that.”

In the men’s 400m, three Grand Bahamians competed with Michael Mathieu getting the best finish with second place in 45.42, just shy of the Olympic qualifying mark of 45.40. Alonzo Russell was third in 45.62 and Henri Delauze was 17th in 47.10. Anas Beshr out of Egyptwon the race in 45.40.