The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

WHILE Shaunae Miller was burning up the track in the United States, the “Golden Knights”, led by Chris ‘Fireman’ Brown, made their return to prominence in Glasgow, Scotland.

Miller, whose name was echoed throughout the halls of Government House as her nine-year-old sister Shaunece was collecting one award after the other at the Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations’ 2013 Year Ending Awards Banquet, left her mark on the New Balance Games in New York with a record breaking performance in the 300 metres.

Representing Adidas in her first year as a professional athlete, Miller clocked 36.40 seconds to easily top the field that had Kadecia Baird of the University of Nebraska in second in 37.26. Charonda Williams, also competing for Adidas, was third in 37.73.

“It was okay. I’m still not used to indoor track and field yet,” said Miller, who surprised herself last when she won the SEC and NCAA Division indoor 400 metres in her freshman year at the University of Georgia. “I was grateful to hold off the field, but I still have a long way to go.”

As for the race, Miller admitted that the field was a very good one and she just tried to do her best and have some fun in the process.

“The curve is still getting me. I tried not to step on the line,” she noted. “I was a little nervous, but I’m glad that I got through it.”

Miller, the 19-year-old former IAAF World Youth and Junior 400m champion, is now preparing for her first appearance at the 15th IAAF World Indoor Championships that will take place in Sopot, Poland, March 7-9.

Meanwhile at the Glasgow International Match at the brand new state-of-the-art Emirates Arena on Saturday, Chris Brown turned his attention to competition after he had to cancel his second Chris Brown Bahamas Invitational, representing the Commonwealth team.

As the lone competitor to compete in an individual event, Brown breezed through the men’s 400m in 45.93 for his season’s best in his opening meet. His nearest rival was Great Britain’s Nigel Levine in a SB of 46.31 as well. Scotland’s Jamie Bowie had a personal best of 46.65 for third and American David Verburg was fourth in his SB of 46.94.

The meet also saw the return of the Golden Knights’ 4 x 400 relay team of Grand Bahamian Demetrius Pinder, Brown, Ramon Miller and Grand Bahamian Michael Mathieu. The quartet competed together for the first time since winning the gold at the 2014 Olympic Games in London, England.

Running splits of Pinder (47.01), Brown (46.19), Miller (46.95) and Mathieu (47.15) settled for second for the Commonwealth Select in a season’s best of 3:07.30. Great Britain won the gold in 3:06.27, while Scotland was third in 3:09.84. The United States ended up fourth in 3:10.82.

The quartet is also looking forward to heading to Poland for the World Indoors.

And at the Gladstein Invitational on Saturday at Indiana University, freshman Devynne Charlton took second place in the women’s 60m dash in 7.63 seconds. The race was won by Chesna Sykes of OSU in 7.39. Sykes also had the fastest qualifying time of 7.43, while Charlton was third in 7.64. Charlton’s team-mate Carmiesha Cox was 34th in 8.01.

Charlton also competed in the 60m hurdles, but she finally had her two-meet winning streak snapped when she placed fifth in the final in 8.59. Cassandra Lloyd won the race in 8.30. Lloyd also had the fastest qualifying time of 8.45. Charlton came in with the sixth fastest of 8.68.

The next meet on the Boilermakers schedule is on Friday at the Findley Elite Invitational where head coach Bahamian Orlando Greene and his assistant Norbert Elliott will be carrying only a few athletes to compete. It’s not known if Charlton will be in the mix. Although she competed on Saturday, Cox is still nursing a slight hamstring injury.