The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

TWO days before she celebrated her 19th birthday, Shaunae Miller sped to the fastest time this year under all conditions to win the women’s 200 metres at the Spec Towns Track Meet in Athens, Georgia.

Miller, fresh off her triple triumph at the BTC Carifta Games in the new Thomas A Robinson Track and Field Stadium over the Easter holiday weekend that earned her the Austin Sealy Award for the most outstanding athlete, clocked a winded 22.41 seconds, which was just over the legal reading of 2.0.

Ironically, there were five heats contested and Miller’s was the only that had a wind-aided reading. Included in her heat was her University of Georgia teammate Tynia Gaither, who was third in 23.21.

While their race was wind-aided, another Bahamian Lanece Clarke had a legal reading. Clarke, one of the group of athletes competing out of Athens as a part of the High Performance Management Team, won her heat in 23.48 for fourth place. Her teammate, Grand Bahamian Cottrel Martin, won her heat as well in 24.06 for ninth place overall.

Undaunted by the reading, Miller said she is just delighted to lead the Bulldogs to a great home performance.

“I thought the wind was a little off, but I still went out and gave a good performance,” said Miller in an interview on Monday as she was heading to practice on her birthday. “I still came out with the PR, so I was pretty happy with that.”

Miller admitted that she was still riding high from CARIFTA, but the home crowd also played a factor just as they did when she was here for the games.

“I wasn’t really expecting to run that fast. I’m not really looking to run any fast times right now,” she said. “But whatever happens, happens. I’m pretty pleased with the time.”

Already established as the Freshman of the Year on the collegiate scene after winning the NCAA indoor title, Miller said she’s looking forward to duplicating the feat, but hopefully in the 200 and 400 during the outdoors, so this performance was just the tip of the iceberg.

“I’m just going to go out there and do my best,” she said. “A lot of the girls, I know because I’ve competed against them for the past few years, so I know the competition is going to be very tough. So it should be a real competitive season, but I’m looking forward to it.”

And after refusing to give her the day off to enjoy her birthday, coach George Cleare said Monday that they will only build on the performance.

“She won pretty easy, but the wind gust really hurt. It was the only race that didn’t have a legal reading,” Cleare said. “She wasn’t pressed, so there’s a lot more in the tank. The sad part of it is we’ve just started our first week of speed work because it was so cold. So once she stays healthy, in the next 4-5 weeks, she should be in another zone.

“We’re just taking the time to go over some speed and technical aspects of her race because she still has the regionals, SEC and the national championships where she has to run at least six 400s. So we just want to save her legs so she can run some fast times in the 400 later this year.”

Gaither, according to Cleare, is also running faster with each meet and “if she continues on this trend, she should be able to dip under the 23-second barrier for the first time this year.”

Gaither also showed her speed, finishing second in her heat for the same position in the 100m in 11.51. V’Alonee Robinson, representing the Auburn Tigers, won her heat in 11.61 for third overall.

Robinson also competed in the long jump, taking fourth place with a leap of 6.08 metres or 19-feet, 8 3/4-inches.

In other events, Clarke got second in the 400m in 53.53, ahead of Martin, who picked up third in 54.87. Amara Jones was seventh in 55.41.

Two other HPMT members were entered in the 100m hurdles with Krystal Bodie taking third in 13.68, followed closely by Tiavania Thompson in fourth in 13.93.

The women were also featured in the relays.

In the 4 x 100m, Gaither ran the second leg and Miller was on third for the University of Georgia, who won in 44.25. Robinson was on the third leg for Auburn University as they ended up fourth in 45.57.

And in the 4 x 400m relay, the HPMT team of Clarke, Jones, Martin and Bodie clocked 3:37.36 for second place.

The competitors are all expected to be in Auburn, Alabama this weekend to compete in the War Eagle Invitational before they head to Philadelphia to compete in the prestigious Penn Relay Festival April 25-27 as the Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations attempts to qualify relay teams to compete at the IAAF World Championships in Moscow, Russia, in August.