The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

GLASGOW, Scotland — National champion Shaunae Miller, joining a number of athletes in grieving over the death of American quarter-miler Torrin Lawrence yesterday, led a trio of Bahamian quarter-milers as she booked her ticket into the women’s 400 metre final tonight at the 20th Commonwealth Games.

While the news of Lawrence’s death early Monday morning spread like wildfire over the news network, Miller said it struck home to her because she was a close friend of the 25-year-old University of Georgia Bulldog where she is currently based with her coach George Cleare.

Having to deal with his untimely death after she ran the preliminary rounds on Sunday with a headache, Miller battled it out with Jamaican Christine Day for the top spot in heat two.

May took the tape in 51.02 seconds with Miller right on her trail in 51.58. At the end of the three heats, Miller ended up with the fourth best time. The top spot went to Amantle Montsho from Botswana with Day and fellow Jamaican Stephanie McPherson in second and third.

Miller’s performance came during the evening session after men’s national champion LaToy Williams and Chris ‘Fireman’ Brown both won their respective heats of the men’s 400m preliminaries as the track and field competition starts to heat up at the Hampden Park.

“I just thank God for everything, but I had a minor setback today when I found out one of my friends passed away today,” said Miller of Lawrence, whose stationary car was reportedly hit by a semi truck that crushed into him on a Georgia interstate.

“I’m putting it all on the line for him. If I get the win, I’m going to get it for him.”

Lawrence, by the way, was a member of the American 4 x 400m relay team that clinched the gold in the inaugural IAAF World Relays at the new Thomas A Robinson National Stadium in May.

Miller, 20, is scheduled to run the final tonight (3:30pm EST). Her task will not be easy running out of lane seven. Behind her are Montsho in six and a Jamaican trio in Novlene Williams-Mills in five, Day in four and McPherson in three. The other competitors are Kineke Alexander in lane one, Folashade Abugan in two and Kelly Massey in eight.

Miller will be looking for her first senior international outdoor medal after securing the bronze in the IAAF World Indoor Championships in Sopot, Poland, in March.

“Anything is possible. I’m just going to go out there and give it my all,” said Miller, the 2010 and 2011 IAAF World Junior and Youth champion respectively after claiming the Austin Sealy Award as the most outstanding athlete in her final CARIFTA appearance in 2013.

In his debut at the four-yearly games that sits just outside of the Olympic Games in terms of international prominence, Williams had to work his way from “no man’s land” in lane eight to win the fourth of seven heats in 46.07 seconds for the ninth fastest qualifying time.

In the next heat in five, Brown came from lane three to take an early lead on the back stretch and he was able to maintain it as he went on to hold off the rest of the field to take the tape in 46.30 for the 14th best time.

The good news: They both advanced to the semifinal slated to be run today at 6:46am EST when Williams will run out of heat four (4) in lane eight, while Brown will follow in heat five in lane three. The top two in each round, plus the next two fastest losers, will advance to the final on Wednesday at 3:20pm EST.

“It’s a good feeling to have both of us in the semi-final,” Williams said. “ Last year I ran in Moscow (at the IAAF World Championships) and I made a mistake. I have learnt from that mistake and I hope to make it a better year this year. So I have to go into the semifinal and hope that I can execute bigger and better because I know that Chris Brown will be there. We hope that both of us can be there.”

On a day of doubles, the Bahamas also got two of the three high jumpers into the men’s final. While Jamal Wilson flopped out on the height of 2:11 metres or 6-feet, 11-inches, both Ryan Ingraham and defending champion Donald Thomas advanced by clearing 2.20m (7-2 1/2) to secure their berths into the showdown on Wednesday at 1:40pm EST.

Also yesterday on day two of the track and field competition, sprinter Sheniqua ‘Q’ Ferguson didn’t advance to the women’s 100m final after she got fourth in her heat in 11.52 for 12th place overall.

WILLIAMS’

POWER RUN

With his fate in his hands, LaToy Williams used his tall, slender body to take control of his heat coming off the first turn. On the back stretch, he extended the lead and was far ahead on the home stretch to easily win in 46.08.

“I felt good. Being out in lane eight, I was running blind, but I tried to keep ahead of the field and I came off the curve first, so I just sort of relaxed coming home,” Williams said. “I ran some of my fastest times out of the outside lane, so I was just expecting to make the semi-final. That was all that is important. I just have to wait and see and pray to God that everything goes right and I can get into the final.”

Williams will have his hands full in his semi-final. He will run out of lane four ahead of Isaacs Makwala of Botswana, who had the fastest qualifying time of 45.33. Trinidad & Tobago’s Lalonde Gordon will be in lane five.

‘FIREMAN’ HOLDS

OFF THE FIELD

Complaining of a headache that had him down, Brown said he found enough energy to surge in front of the field on the back stretch of his heat. Coming off the final turn in the lead, he started to shut it down, but had to keep it going as Daundre Barnaby of Canada came surging in for second in 46.16.

“I just wanted to get the dust off, so I want to thank God for allowing me to come out here today and finish the race and win my heat,” he said. “I didn’t want to run too hard, but just a smart race.”

In his semi-final, Brown will run out of lane three, sandwiched between Philip Osei from Canada in two and Bralon Taplin of Grenada in four. As a point of interest, race favourite Kirani James from Grenada had the second fastest qualifying time of 45.52 and will lead heat two of lane four. By the way, the first two in each heat and the next two fastest losers will advance to the final.