The Tribune

12.38pm: Today's Round-up: The MEN'S 4x400M TEAM finish fourth in their heat and miss out on a final place. HIGH JUMPERS Donald Thomas and Ryan Ingraham exit at the semifinal stage - Thomas passed on 2.35 and failed to make 2.38. Ingraham bowed out at 2.39. Shaunae Miller qualified for the WOMEN'S 200M final. Athonique Strachan just missed out.

12.05pm: WOMEN'S 200M: Shaunae Miller qualifies for the final, Anthonique Strachan just misses out.

11.30am: 4x400: So no final for the Bahamas - despite behind ahead on the third leg, they finish fourth with 3:02.67

11.10am: HIGH JUMP: Donald Thomas clears on second attempt.

11.05am: HIGH JUMP: Ryan Ingraham clears the first mark 2.20 - Donald Thomas to come.

11.00am:

• Donald Thomas and Ryan Ingraham in the men's high jump final coming up now.

• Chris Brown, Wesley Neymour, LaToy Williams and O'Jay Ferguson in the men's 4x400 metres relay heat three around 11.10am

• Shaunae Miller and Anthonique Strachan in the women's 200 metres semifinal heat one and heat three from 11.45am

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

MOSCOW, Russia: Teenage sensations Anthonique Strachan and Shaunae Miller posted two of the top five times to advance into today's semifinal of the women's 200 metres at the 14th IAAF World Championships.

Unfortunately, Nivea Smith's bid to join them later today as Team Bahamas resumed competition after a day off on Wednesday, was thwarted as her performance was just shy of the 24 marks that got in.

Strachan, 19, posted the third fastest qualifying time of 22.66 seconds, while 18-year-old Miller had the fifth best in 22.77.

Smith was tied for 27th in 23.25 with Jamaica's Patricia Hall.

While Hall was awarded a lane in the semis, Smith was left out.

American Allyson Felix, who won Smith's heat, had the fastest qualifying time of 22.59.

In the semis tonight, Miller will run out of lane six in the first heat at 7:45 pm or 11:45 am (ET) that will feature Murielle Ahoure from the Ivory Coast in lane four.

Strachan will follow in heat three at 8:01 pm or 12:01 pm (ET).

She will be in lane three next to Jamaican 100 champion Shelly-Ann Fraser in four.

The first two in each heat and the next two fastest times will move onto the final on Friday at 9:15 pm or 1:15 pm (ET).

As the first competitor out of the blocks for the Bahamas at the Luzhniki Grand Sports Complex, Miller pulled away from the pack and never was challenged as she closed in on the finish line checking tosee how far her rivals were behind her.

"The first round went pretty good. I just want to thank God for allowing me to come through," said Miller, who held off Hall, who came back after a semifinal appearance in the 400.

"I went out there and executed like my coach told me too and I started to ease it downcoming home."

As for the time, Miller noted that it was a little faster than she had anticipated, but she was just glad to get through with it.

"I'm not going to be slowing down," she said of the semis.

"I know the semis is going to be pretty much a final, so I'm just going to go out there and do my best and whatever happens. I'm competing against the world's best, so I'm just going to try and have some fun."

After getting left in the blocks, Strachan came off the curve behind in heat five, but she managed to power down the home stretch.

She didn't have enough real estate to catch Ukraine's Mariya Artymata, who coasted in with 22.63.

But she will accept her performance.

"It was good. I was relaxed, but it was just a little cold," said Strachan, who could be seen making some gestures with her mouth to keep warm at the start of the race.

"Since we came to Russia, it was hot, but I guess today it just decided to get cold, but it was a good run."

As for her comeback, Strachan said she didn't want to exert too much energy because she have to come back for the semis tonight.

"With the semifinal so close, if you use too much energy, you won't have anything left for the semis," she said.

"The semifinals isbasically the final because if you don't make it to the semis, you won't see no finals."

Running out of lane eight, Strachan said she actually didn't see the rest of the field, so she tried her best to get off the curve as fast as she could and then for whoever was ahead of her on the straightaway.

While everybody was training for the past year to get ready for the World's, Smith only began her comeback in May.

Despite not getting through to the semis with Miller and Strachan, she was still satisfied with her effort."

I didn't expect to be here running the 200, so I'm pretty satisfiedwith it," said the Grand Bahama native.

"I'm not 100 percent."

Smith said she was hoping to get out early because she's always had problems with her 400m.

But she didn't get out as quickly as she anticipated and she wasn't able to make up sufficient ground to catch the pack, led by Felix.

"I wasn't nervous," said Smith about her match-up with the two-time Olympic and world champion, who was a bronze medallist in the last championship in Daegu, South Korea in 2011.

"It was a privilege to run with some one like her at this point in my career."

Expecting to be back next year, Smith said she is looking forward to watching Strachan and Miller the rest of the rounds.

"I'm really happy for them. They are young and they have a lot of talent. They are doing very well," she said.

Unfortunately, Smith will be leaving on Sunday to report to school at Auburn University, so she will miss competing on the Bahamas 4 x 100 metres relay team.

But she's wishing her team-mates all the very best.