The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

LONDON, England: It will probably be the biggest disaster that Shaunae Miller-Uibo will have to recover from, hopefully it will be in time to get back on the track to compete in the women’s 200 metres semifinals today at the 16th IAAF World Championships.

In the final of the women’s 400 metres with plenty room to spare ahead of her rivals at a rain-drenched Queen Elizabeth Olympic Stadium, Miller-Uibo’s feet wobbled and she relinquished her huge lead and dropped from the gold to fourth place in the last 50 metres.

She and American Allyson Felix were set to square off for the third straight year in a global meet, breaking the 1-1 tie from the last World’s in Beijing, China won by Felix and last year’s Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil with Miller-Uiboi’s dive across the line.

Instead, American Phyllis Francis powered from lane six to sneak the gold in a personal best of 49.92. Sava Ed Naser produced a Bahrain national record of 50.06 for the silver and Felix clinched the bronze with 50.08.

Miller-Uibo, who appeared to be on a 48-second pace, eventually completed the race in 50.49.

Unavailable to speak to the media after the race, her mother and team manager Maybeline Miller said her daughter is fine.

“She still doesn’t know what happened,” she said. “She was clear on the way coming home and she just tripped. She don’t understand it. She doesn’t know what it is. In talking to her, she is still in high spirits and she said she’s going to win the 200m. She didn’t get the gold in the 400, but she’s going to get it in the 200m.”

She was attempting to become the first woman ever at the championships to win the 200/400m double. Now she has to turn her attention on the semifinal of the 200m where she will compete with fellow team-mates Tynia Gaither and Anthonique Strachan, starting at 4:05 pm.

“She knows that race is gone. Ain’t nothing she could do with that,” her mother said. “She’s focusing on the 200m semifinals tomorrow and the final the day after.”

The elder Miller said Miller-Uibo wasn’t in any pain, nor did she indicate that the weather was a factor in the race.

Head coach Dianne Woodside-Johnson said she was able to assess Miller-Uibo after the race and she was in good spirits and looking forward to redemption in the 200m. She said it was just one of those things that happened that she couldn’t do anything about it.

“She was a 48 second pace,” said Woodside-Johnson, her former coach when Miller-Uibo attended St Augustine’s College. “We will never know how fast she could have ran. She was looking good up to that point.”

Relay coordinator Rupert Gardiner concurred.

“It just happened. She didn’t run out of gas,” he said. “Her foot just buckled. Her foot just leave from under her.

“You will see her out tomorrow in the semifinal of the 200. Nothing to worry about.”