The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

Following the completion of the 2016 Olympic Games, the International Amateur Athletic Federation has released its current rankings and a number of Bahamians are featured in the top 10 in their respective events.

Shaunae Miller’s personal best of 49.44 seconds for the gold medal in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, has her sitting on top of the women’s 400 metres. American Allyson Felix follows with her silver medal run of 49.51.

Between the two, they share the top six times posted this year.

In the 200m, which many people were hoping she would have gone for the double in Rio, Miller has dropped to fourth with her season’s best of 22.05, the new Bahamian national record she established in Kingston, Jamaica, on June 11. Jamaican double sprint champion Elaine Thompson holds onto the top spot with her Olympic run of 21.78.

Ty’Nia Gaither, a semifinalist at the Olympics, is ranked at No.23 with 22.54 that she ran at the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Oregon, on June 11 as well.

Miller, by the way, is tied with Gaither with 11.19 for 55th place in the 100m. The time was an Olympic qualifier, but only Gaither contested the event in Rio.

In lowering her national record to 12.64 to qualify for the final of the women’s 100m hurdles in Rio, Pedrya Seymour produced the most improved performance as she finished sixth. She is now ranked at No.11 on the list that is led by American Kendra Harrison, who didn’t compete at the Olympics but went on to set a world record in London with 12.20 on July 22.

Despite falling short of qualifying for the final, Bianca Stuart is tied with two others for No.83 in the women’s long jump with her best of 6.52m that she did in Baie Mahault on May 14.

On the men’s side, Donald Thomas remained consistent and is sitting tied for 4th place with his best of 2.37m that he did at the Székesfehérvár (Sóstói Stadion) on July 28.

Thomas also had two jumps at 2.31m at Baie Mahault on May 14 and Monaco on July 15 to lead the field of two other competitors. Jamal Wilson is 15th at 2.30m at the BAAA Odd Distance Meet on January 9 to qualify for Rio. Trevor Barry, the other member of the Olympic team, is tied for 18th with 2.29m.

Both Thomas and Barry made it to the final in Rio, finishing sixth and 11th respectively. Wilson missed out on making it a triple affair.

Although he didn’t make it out of the semi-final of the men’s 400m, Steven Gardiner is tied with 10 others for ninth in the men’s 400m with his time of 44.46 at the BAAA Nationals on June 25.

The next best performance this year came from Grand Bahamian Alonzo Russell with 45.25 that he ran to finish as the runner-up to Gardiner at the BAAA Nationals, qualifying for Rio where he got eliminated in the first round. He is pegged at No.42.

Michael Mathieu, who only did relay duties in Rio, is 59th with 45.42 in Montverde, Florida and veteran Chris ‘Fireman’ Brown, who completed his fifth Olympic appearance by falling short of getting out of the first round, is 79th with his SB’s of 45.56 in Rio.

The two highest ranked male sprinters were Adrian Griffith at 79th with 10.11 from Montverde, Florida and Jamial Rolle, 113th with 10.16 in Clermont, Florida. They both had sub-par performances, finishing eighth in their respective heats in Rio.

Demetrius Pinder, who had a false start in the men’s 200m in Rio, tied for 92nd in the men’s 200m. Shavez Hart, who contested the sprint double in his Olympic debut, is 147th at 20.57 behind Griffith’s 123th place with 20.52 and Mathieu’s 127th place with 20.53.

Latario Collie-Minns, who fouled out of the qualifying round of the men’s triple jump in his debut in Rio, is tied for 22nd with 16.97m that he did in winning the NCAA title, while Leevan ‘Superman’ Sands’ return to the Olympics fell short of a qualifying spot in the final - he was 66th overall with 16.63m.

National record holder Jeffery Gibson, who had an injury prone Olympics where he didn’t get out of the first round, is tied for 24th in the men’s 400m hurdles with his best of 48.96 that he did in Kingston, Jamaica on May 7.

And with their bronze medal performance in the final, the men’s 4 x 400m relay team of Alonzo Russell, Michael Mathieu, Steven Gardiner and Chris Brown completed the chart with a third place showing behind gold medallist USA and silver medallist Jamaica.

Stephen Newbold can also take comfort in the fact that he ran in the heats instead of Mathieu to help the Bahamas to qualify for the final.