The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

SOPOT, Poland — It was a long Saturday night for veteran Chris ‘Fireman’ Brown. In fact he didn’t even remember if he slept at all.

Sunday morning, Brown found himself still reminiscing over the fact that at age 35 years, he turned in a personal best of 45.58 seconds to clinch the silver medal in the men’s 400m final at Ergo Arena.

It turned out to be his fifth in five consecutive biannual championships as he became the first man on the planet to wear a gold, silver and (three) bronze medals around his neck as he followed the bronze medal from rookie Shaunae Miller in the space of an hour.

“It’s been a lot of people face booking and congratulating me,” said Brown in the aftermath of his amazing achievement. “I slept like a champion. I got a weight lifted off my shoulders because I had a long journey to get here, having had to get about eight stitches in my face from an accident that I had earlier in the year. I’m just so glad that I was able to win this medal.”

In the memorable race, Brown started out in six. He got caught by eventual champion Pavel Maslak of the Czech Republic on the back stretch of the first of two laps on the 200 metre track.

As they headed for the stagger on the inside lane, Maslak was able to make up some ground as he took control of the race on the gun lap. He stayed ahead and stopped the tape in a new indoor national record of 45.24 to earn $40,000.

With the rest of the field behind him, Brown made sure that he wasn’t going to relinquish his position. As he chased the European indoor and outdoor champion, the rest of the field followed in pursuit.

Sensing that the gap was closing in, Brown maneuvered into another gear as he surged through the finish line in 45.58 for his $20,000, leaving American Kyle Clemons on his trail for the bronze in 45.74 for $10,000.

“The race was a very difficult one for me,” Brown said. “I knew that the younger runners were going to be gunning for me, so I had to go out there and play it safe. I wasn’t prepared to get in the hustle and bustle, so my goal was to get in the top three spots and that is what I did.

“I really wanted the gold, but I’ll take the silver. I now have a gold, a silver and three bronze from the World Indoors, I can’t be disappointed in that. The silver for me today is just as good as the gold.”

Brown, still waiting for his individual medal at the World Outdoor Championships and the Olympic Games, said he was once again honoured to carry the Bahamas’ flag on the podium in what he called his “house.”

“It hasn’t sunk in yet that I am the silver medallist,” he said. “I know that I’m going to really enjoy this experience. I’m just excited that I got to this point in my career. I know I’m going to cherish this moment for quite a while.”

Not only will Brown savour his moment, but he will take the opportunity to join in the celebrations for Miller, whom he spent some time with before her race encouraging her to go out and give it her best shot, running out of lane one ahead of him.

“She did very well. I am so proud of her,” he said. “We went out there and we performed very well for the Bahamas. In fact, I think the whole team should be commended. It was just our time to shine in this meet.

“She went out there and set the tone. I had a personal talk with her. I told her this is the stage for her to go out there and do her thing. I was happy that she was able to come through with her medal. She

deserved it.”

When asked if he thinks there’s anything left in the tank, Brown lamented that “God has been good to me. He’s been really good to me. He’s been blessing me throughout my career. He hasn’t left me stranded, so I know I still have a lot more left in the tank. I just want the world to know that Chris Brown ain’t done just yet. I feel I still have another World Indoor Championship ahead of me, but I really want to say that I want to get an outdoor medal before I’m done.”

Having won a series of medals as a member of the men’s 4 x 400 metre relay team outdoors, Brown was hoping that this would have been the year for him to get his first indoor relay medal.

But as he was preparing for the 400m final, the team of Ramon Miller, Michael Mathieu, Andretti Bain and LaToy Williams ran in the heats of the relay on Saturday. They got a disappointing fourth in their heat

in 3:09.79 and eighth overall.

“It was very disappointing. I really wanted them to get into the final,” he said. “I’m proud of the guys for what they did. I know everything happens for a reason. Whatever it is, I hope they can rebound from it and let’s get ready for the World Relays at home in May.”

As the championship came to a close on Sunday, the United States’ team of Kyle Clemons, David Verburg, Kind Butler and Calvin Smith shocked the world by winning the men’s 4 x 400 relay in a world indoor record time of 3:02.13 for a bonus $50,000 to share with their $40,000. Great Britain got the silver in a season’s best of 3:03.49 for $20,000 and Jamaica produced a national record of 3:03.69 for $10,000.

The question: How would the Bahamas have feared if the team had qualified?

Brown said: “You never know. I know I would have liked to have won two medals and the men’s 4 x 400 was one of them. Unfortunately, we didn’t get in, so we can only speculate what could have happened.”

In the meantime, Brown said he and his team-mates will be waiting to welcome the world, including the United States, to their home turf when the IAAF World Relays take place May 24-25.

Of course, Brown will have to wait until 2016 in Portland, Oregon, to continue his legacy when the IAAF puts on the 16th World Indoor Championship.