The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

After completing her initial indoor season, sprinter Anthonique Strachan is now eager to see how well she can perform at the World Indoor Championships in Belgrade, Serbia.

Strachan, who will be contesting the women’s 60 metres, was invited by World Athletics - the governing body of the sport - along with men’s high jumper Donald Thomas, to compete in the three-day meet from Friday to Sunday.

They were granted the invites to compete based on their positions in the standings and those who have decided to compete in the event. Hurdler Pedrya Seymour was also given an invite, but opted not to travel to compete.

Strachan and Thomas now push the Bahamas’ total of athletes competing to five as hurdler Devynne Charlton and quarter-milers Shaunae Miller-Uibo and Megan Moss were originally named to the team based on their qualifying performances.

While Charlton and Moss have already arrived in Belgrade with head coach Laura Charlton, coach David Charlton and chief liaison officer Foster Dorsett, Miller- Uibo and Strachan are due to arrive today.

And Thomas is scheduled to arrive on Wednesday.

Strachan, who is still training in Jamaica with the MVP Track Club, said after competing for the first time indoors this year, she’s excited about taking it to the next level and competing in her first World Indoor Championships.

“It went very well,” said Strachan about her season.

“I’m not one of the best starters or one of the most aggressive for the first 60m, so that is improving for me. I feel I’ve made some strides in improving on that aspect of my race. I never thought that I would get a chance to go to World Indoors because I don’t see myself as one of the most aggressive or one of the world’s best stars, so I’m really pleased to get this opportunity to compete.

“I really want to see how well I can compete against some of the fastest starters in the world,” she added.

As she heads to the championships, Strachan said she’s going to Belgrade with an open mind to compete at her best.

“The only thing I want to do is to run PB (personal best),” noted Strachan, who ran 7.17 outdoors and 7.25 indoors in the 60m.

“I have a time in mind, but I want to keep it to myself because it’s personal. And once I achieve that, I will be very satisfied with myself.

“I’m really just using this to help me build on my outdoor season to help me improve the start of my race.”

Despite going through her maiden voyage indoors, the 28-year-old Strachan said she couldn’t ask for a better introduction to the indoor season.

“I can’t really complain about anything right now,” Strachan said. “This is probably the best I’ve felt at any point or time at the beginning of my track season, so I’m really content with where I’m at right now.”

After the ordeal she experienced at the postponed 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan in August, including having to stop competing on the anchor leg of the women’s 4 x 400m relay team in the preliminaries, Strachan said she’s just glad to be able to represent the island nation once again.