The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

THERE has been a lot said about the performances of the Bahamas quarter-milers this year, but Jeffery Gibson is slowly building up his reputation as a competitor to watch this year on the international scene in the men’s 400 metre hurdles.

The Bahamian national record holder has performed exceptionally well, coming off his bronze medal performance at the Commonwealth Games last year in Glasgow, Scotland. He’s hoping that it will carry over when he goes to the IAAF World Championships in Beijing, China, where he intends to get back on the podium.

In his latest outing at the IAAF Diamond League meet in New York, Gibson took third place in a season’s best time of 48.97 seconds. The race was won by Puerto Rico’s Javier Culson in 48.48 and Lj Van Zyl of the Republic of South Africa, both season best performances.

“The meet was okay for me,” he told The Tribune this week. “I felt that some things should have been taken care of better, but nonetheless, I’m glad I was able to go and run against some of the world’s best last weekend.

The performance was off Gibson’s national record time of 48.78 that he ran to set the national record last year. But he was still pleased with his effort.

“I was more so satisfied than pleased,” he said. “I wanted to run much faster, but when you don’t run the time that you want, a season’s best will suffice. I thought that I was moving a bit sluggish through the first half of the race and only began to run faster as I was coming home.”

Nonetheless, Gibson said he’s going to keep his head high because of the loftier goals that he wants to accomplish this year.

“My focus this year is to make the final and the podium stand at the World Championship,” he said. “At my last world champs, I was only able to make it to the semi-finals. With me being more experienced in my hurdles, I plan to go a lot further.I’m also focused on promoting myself throughout the Bahamas and getting endorsed and sponsored by local companies.”

For those who don’t know him yet, Gibson is a 24-year-old Grand Bahamian who graduated from Bishop Michael Eldon School and Oral Roberts University where he followed in the footsteps of quarter-miler Andretti Bain. He is a two-time CARIFTA bronze medallist of both the under-17 and under-20 4 x 400m relay teams in Guadeloupe in 2006 and St Kitts and Nevis in 2008 respectively.

Gibson went on to represent the Bahamas at both the IAAF World Youth Championhips in 2007 in Ostrava, Czech Republic and the IAAF World Junior Championships in Bydgoszcz, Poland in 2008 and was a two-time participant in the NACAC Under-23 Championships in Miramar, Florida in 2010 and Irapuato, Mexico in 2012. In his latter trip, he picked up three medals with the gold in the 400m hurdles, bronze in the 400m and as a member of the 4 x 400m relay team that got silver.

As a two-time competitor at the Central American and Caribbean Championships in 2011 in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico and 2013 in Morelia, Mexico, Gibson also secured a pair of silver medals in Morelia in the 400m hurdles and on the 4 x 400m relay team.

Gibson also made his first appearance at the IAAF World Championships in 2013 in Moscow, Russia before he captured his Commonwealth bronze and a gold at the Pan American Sports Festival in Ciudad de Mexico, Mexico, both last year in the 400m hurdles.

With all the hoopla this year around the men’s 400m, Gibson said he plans to return home for the Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations’ National Open Track and Field Championships next weekend just to concentrate on his specialty in the 400m hurdles.

“I don’t plan to mix with the 400m. I’m sticking with my event and will worry about the 400m after I have accomplished my goals,” he said.

In the meantime, he congratulated veteran quarter-miler national record holder Chris ‘Fireman’ Brown and rising newcomer Steven Gardiner for the manner in which they have been competing so far this year in the marquee 400m.

“I’m pleased to see what they are running and I expect them to be running some of the fastest times in the world,” he said. “I expect that from all the 400m runners, I am content with seeing it happen. We are one of the best countries in the world in this event. I pray for their continued success this season.”

As for his event, Gibson said he’s looking forward to competing at the Nationals at the Thomas A Robinson Track and Field Stadium June 26-27 in his next meet and even though he should have some competition from Patrick Bodie, who has already ran a season’s best of 49.63, he intends to “remain the national champion in this event.”