The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

SOPOT, Poland: What a way for Team Bahamas to end the first day of competition at the International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF) 15th World Indoor Championships.

Chris 'Fireman' Brown put it all on the line and Shaunae Miller had to dig down deep as the duo became the first two to clinch their berths in the finals of the men and women 400 metres respectively.

In a gutsy performance, Brown had to battle back from a shaky start to take the lead in the final of the two laps on the 200 metres track at the Ergo Arena to win the last of the two heats in 46.19 seconds to bring the curtain down on Friday's competition.

He will now compete for his fifth consecutive medal in the biannual global meet when he runs out of lane six with the third fastest qualifying time.

"I just thank the Lord for allowing me to come back here again and make history and be a part of this 400m final. It's been a long journey, so to come here to know that there is only six lanes in the final and I got one of them let me know that I'm one step closer to achieving my goal.

"I think I got out a little too timid and I know my coach is going to get on my for that. I could have gotten out much harder. It was a rookie mistake, but I made up for it. I had some strength left in the gas chamber, so I just have to eat good tonight and get some rest and I should be good to go for the final."

Brown, at the age of 35, will be the oldest competitor in the field, but he's not going to let the numbers deter him.

"They say age is only a number, so I hope these guys learn from the best," he said. "It feels good to run against a young crop of young competitors, but I want to let them know that it ain't over yet. This is still my house and I want to go home with a medal and make the Bahamas proud."

On the line is $40,000 for the gold, $20,000 for the silver and $10,000 for the bronze.

Miller, who will celebrate her 20th birthday on April 25th is also looking for a big payday today when she contests the women's 400m final about 50 minutes earlier than Brown.

Having just barely squeezed in after her semifinal had to go to a photo finish, Miller is hoping she can improve.

After dropping all the way to fourth place on the final lap, she had to wait until the closing seconds before she ran out of real estate to nip Russia's Kseniya Ryzhova for the third and final spot.

Miller's time was 51.63, just one-tenth of a second ahead of Ryzhova's 51.64.

"I'm just proud that I got in," said a somewhat disappointed Miller.

"The goal was to get out early and finish on top so I could get a good lane for the final and go to work from there. I'm still pretty excited that I got in. I'm still young and really happy to be in the final."

Their back-to-back performances came after Warren Fraser advanced to the semifinal of the men's 60m and Adrian Griffith just missed it by two spots.

The drama will continue for the Bahamas today when Sheniqua 'Q' Ferguson will begin her quest as the new Bahamian indoor sprinter. She will replace veteran Chandra Sturrup, who retired after her fifth place finish in 2012 in Istanbul. Jamaican Veronica Campbell-Brown is also in the mix to defend her title.

Also today at 5:50am ET, the team of Andretti Bain, Latoy Williams, Michael Mathieu and Ramon Miller will run out of lane five in the last of two heats in the men's 4 x 400m relay. They will compete with Nigeria, Japan, Russia and Great Britain.

The United States, Poland, Jamaica, Spain and Ukraine will line up in heat one. The first two finishers will automatically qualify for the final, along with the next two fastest times. The final will close out these championships on Sunday at 12:40 pm.

And at 6:05 am ET, Ryan Ingraham will be the fourth competitor on the run-way and Donald Thomas will be the 12th of 17 in the men's high jump qualifying.