The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

JEFFERY Gibson and Shaunae Miller, still riding high on their medal-winning performances at the World Championships in Beijing, China, last month, closed their 2015 season by winning their respective events on Friday at the AG Insurance Memorial van Damme Diamond League meet in Brussels, Belgium.

Gibson, who lowered his Bahamian national record to 48.17 seconds for the bronze medal in Beijing, clocked 48.72 as he surged to victory in the men's 400m hurdles to hold off American Bershawn Jackson (48.76) and Kariem Hussein, of Switzerland (48.87).

"I was glad with my performance, especially with me going in with no expectations," Gibson told The Tribune. "To win my first race, I'm grateful and humbled by what God gave to me. I was a little nervous about the race going against a strong field, but I told myself that I'm going to run at least run my best and go out with a bang."

Gibson, 25, said he was thrilled to have closed his season on a high as he was able to make his family, coaches and close friends proud.

Miller, the 21-year-old silver medallist in a personal best of 49.67 seconds in Beijing, ran 50.48 to snatch the women's 400m title from American Francena McCorory, who ran 50.59 for second. Jamaican Stephanie Ann McPherson came third in 51.00.

Many were hoping to have seen the match-up between Miller and McCorory at the World Championships but McCorory finished fourth at the US trials and out of contention. She was limited to just her appearance on the US women's 4 x 400m relay team that was beaten by the Jamaicans.

Instead, Miller took on American Allyson Felix, who took the title in a world leading time of 49.26.

Rather than renewing her match-up with Miller in the 400m in Brussels, Felix stepped back to the 200m where she posted a time of 22.22 seconds for second place. The race was won by world champion Dafne Schippers, of the Netherlands in 22.12, while Jamaican silver medallist Elaine Thompson was in 22.26.

The meet in Brussels was the last of the 14 of the IAAF Diamond League series that started on May 15 in Doha, Qatar. The other stops in the series were Shanghai, China, May 17; Eugene, Oregon, May 30; Rome, Italy, June 4; Birmingham, Great Britain, June 7; Oslo, Norway, June 11 June; New York (Icahn), New York, June 13; Paris, France, July 4; Lausanne, Switzerland July 9; Monaco, Monte Carlo, July 17; London, Great Britain, July 24-25; Stockholm, Sweden, July 30 and Zürich, Switzerland, September 3.

Introduced in 2010, the IAAF awards more than $480,000 in prize money for the 32 event disciplines contested. Each overall winner collected $40,000 and a spectacular diamond trophy. The winners of each event at each competition accumulated eight points and $10,000.

It was the best showing by Bahamian athletes so far in the Diamond League.

For his effort in the 400m hurdles, Gibson pushed his total to nine points in the two events in which he competed as he finished in a tie for second place with American Johnny Ditch. Jackson took the overall title with 18 points in five events.

Miller, on the other hand, finished second in the women's 400m standings, competing in three events for 14 points. McCorory captured the title with 20 points in five events.

Full details in The Tribune on Monday