The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

OLYMPIC and world women’s 400 metre champion Shaunae Miller-Uibo and men’s long jumper Laquan Nairn posted impressive victories to lead a list of Bahamians in action in separate meets in the United States over the weekend.

Miller-Uibo shines in Florida

Miller-Uibo, coming off her world indoor championship gold medal last month, proved that she’s fit and ready for the long haul to the World Championships in Eugene, Oregon in July as she clocked a sizzling, world's second fastest time of 49.91 seconds to take the title in the women’s 400m Olympic Development. Aliyah Abrams was a distant second in the race in 51.17.

The fastest time posted so far this year is 49.87 by Jamaican Charokee Young of Texas A&M at the Tom Jones Invitational.

Speaking on her performance, Miller-Uibo’s coach Lance Brauman of the Pure Athletics Track Club out of Florida said he was very happy, noting that it was a “solid and controlled opener” that she used as a “training effort.”

Also at the meet, instead of running the open men’s 400m, Abaco native Olympic and world champion Steven Gardiner ran the lead off leg on the Adidas men’s 4 x 400m relay team consisting of Quincy Hall, Erriyon Knighton and Grant Holloway. They won the event in 2:59.00.

Grand Bahamian Alonzo Russell, however, came through in second place in the men’s 400m Olympic Development in 45.65, while Kinard Rolle got ninth in 47.29 in the time trials.

Great Britain’s Matthew Hudson-Smith had the fastest time, winning the event in 44.82. Another Grand Bahamian Terrance Jones, competing for Texas Tech, placed second in the men’s 100m university in 10.09 as he trailed Matthew Boling of Georgia, who won in 9.98.

Exuma native Samson Colebrooke, competing in the men’s 100m Olympic Development, was seventh in the first of three heats in 10.35 as the Atlanta Track Club representative placed 11th overall.

Erriyon Knighton won the heat in 10.04 and was followed by Noah Lyles in 10.05 for the fastest two times.

Samson had a better showing in the men’s 200m Olympic Development event where he was fourth overall in 20.56, while Kinard Rolle was 15th overall in 21.85. The fastest time was done by Jereem Richards in 20.12.

Sasha Wells, competing for the University of Florida, placed 14th overall in the women’s 100m hurdles university preliminaries in 13.72, but it wasn’t fast enough to get her into the final.

Nairn picks up the victory

At the USATF Golden Games as a part of the Mt SAC Relays Hilmer Lodge Stadium in Walnut, California, LaQuan Nairn soared to victory in the men’s long jump with a lifetime best of 26-feet, 11 3/4-inches or 8.22 metres in the last of six rounds of competition.

Nairn, who did a previous best of 26-9 3/4 (8.17m) on his third attempt, held off American Will Williams, who did 26-10 (8.18nm) for second.

And in the women’s 200m Olympic Development race, Tynia Gaither finished sixth in 22.72, shy of her PB of 22.45, which was also her season’s best.

American Gabrielle Thomas ran a world-leading time of 22.02 for the win.