The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

LONDON, England: The last three days of competition this weekend at the 16th IAAF World Championships will be interesting ones for Team Bahamas, just as the first seven were – with one medal and two finalists on the stage in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Stadium.

National record holder Shanuae Miller-Uibo and TyNia Gaither willl be the Bahamas’ first 1-2 punch in an individual final after they both booked their lanes in come-from-behind fashion, Miller-Uibo taking her heat in 22.49 after her disappointment in the 400m and Gaither in fourth in 22.85 for the last of two fastest losers spots.

Today at 4:50 pm EST, Miller-Uibo will run out of lane five, next to defending champion Dafne Schippers from the Netherlands in six, while Gaither will be in three. They will be attempting to join men’s 400m silver medalist Steven Gardiner on the podium.

Also today, two competitors will compete in their individual events during the qualifying round of competition in the morning session with the final of the women’s 200m taking the spotlight in the evening session.

The last two days will be devoted to the relays, including the participation of the men’s 4 x 100m team in light of a positive drug testing of one of the former teammates.

Devynne Charlton, making her global debut after injury prevented her from contesting the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil last year, will run out of lane nine in the third of five heats in the women’s 100m hurdles at 6:01 am EST.

American world record holder Kendra Harrison is in lane two – the top four and the next four fastest qualifiers will head to the semifinal at 2:05 pm.

The final will be on Saturday at 3:05 pm.

Charlton, a red-shirt junior at Purdue University, comes into the championships with a personal and season’s best of 12.74 after having a sensational collegiate season.

Back for his fifth appearance at the championships since ascending the top of the dais as the world champion in 2009 in Daegu, South Korea.

33-year-old Donald Thomas will be out to improve on his sixth place finishes in the last two championships in Beijing, China in 2015 and Moscow, Russia in 2013.

With a season’s best of 2.31 metres, well below his PB of 2.37m, Thomas will be the 13th out of a field of 14 competitors to take to the run-way in the qualifying round of Group A of the men’s high jump on Friday at 6:15 am EST.

Another field of 14 competitors will line up in Group B with everybody getting a chance to clear the automatic height of 2.31m or wait to see who will be the best 12 performers to clinch their berth in the final – staged on Sunday at 2 pm EST.

The heats of the women’s 4 x 100m relay will be contested at Saturday at 5:35 am EST with the Bahamas using a combination of Keianna Albury, Jenae Ambrose, Carmiesha Cox, TyNia Gaither and Anthonique Strachan.

The men’s 4 x 100m will follow at 5:55 am EST, but Shavez Hart, Joel Johnson, Teray Smith and Sean Stuart may have to wait to see if they will be allowed to compete after it was further discovered that the B sample of a member of the relay team that qualified at the IAAF World Relays came back positive.

Originally, the athlete’s A sample tested positive for a banned substance, but unconfirmed reports have surfaced that the B test returned positive, which may put the team’s participation in the championships here in jeopardy.

If they do compete and qualify, the men’s 4 x 1 relay final will close out the night at 4:50 pm EST, just after the women’s final takes place at 4:30 pm EST.

Also on Saturday, the heats of the women’s 4 x 400m relay will be around 6:20 am EST with Christine Amertil, Doneisha Anderson, Lanece Clarke, Shaquania Dorsett, Shaunae Miller-Uibo and Antonique Strachan listed to make up the quartet.

The final will be on Sunday at 3:55 pm EST.

And the men’s 4 x 4 team, which is expected to comprise of 400m silver medalist Steven Gardiner, Michael Mathieu, Ramon Miller, Alonzo Russell and Kendrick Thompson, will run the heats on Saturday at 6:50 am EST.

The final will close out the championships on Sunday at 4:15 pm EST.