The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

With less than a month to go before the start of the IAAF World Championships, quarter-miler Shaunae Miller-Uibo continues to prove that she's ready for the biggest showdown this year on the international scene.

Miller-Uibo, who intends to go after the 200/400 metre double at the championships August 5-13 at the Olympic Stadium in London, England, ran away from a top notch field of competitors in the women's 400m in 49.80 seconds at the IAAF Diamond League Meet in Rabat where she competed along with high jumper Donald Thomas.

Her time turned out to be a new stadium record as she shattered the previous mark of 51.05 that was set by her American archrival Allyson Felix on June 14, 2015.

Felix, by the way, has moved ahead of Miller-Uibo in posting the fastest time so far this year in 49.65 in a meet in London on July 9.

Miller-Uibo, who upset Felix by diving across the finish line to snatch the gold at the Olympic Games last year in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, had the previous best mark of 49.77 that she ran on May 13 in Shanghai, China.

"This is actually a training race for me," Miller-Uibo said after the impressive race. "The time is good, but it is not very important for me now. What counts are the World Championships."

No doubt, Miller-Uibo and Felix are looking to go head-to-head in the marquee one-mile race as they have yet to face each other since their epic showdown last year.

Also expected to be in the mix in London, but left out of the picture as Miller-Uibo extended her lead coming off the final curve and onto the straight away with a pair of Americans and Jamaicans.

Natasha Hastings (50.86) and Quanera Haynes (51.08), carrying the American flag in the race, got second and third respectively, while Novlene Mills-Williams (51.18) and fellow Jamaican Shericka Jackson (51.20) were fourth and fifth. Jackson was third behind Miller-Uibo and Felix in Rio.

Republic of South Africa's Caster Semenya, the 800m specialist, attempted to try her hand at Miller-Uibo as well, but she could only muster a time of 51.53 for seventh behind American Courtney Okolo, who ran 51.33 for sixth.

Miller-Uibo, 23, was just simply in a class of her own and was untouchable in the latter part of the race for her third victory in as many quartermiles she has contested this year.

However, she sits in third place on the performance list behind Felix and Hayes, who did 49.72 in Sacramento, California, on June 24.

On the other hand, Miller-Uibo has also produced a season's best of 21.91 in the 200m in Eugene, Oregon on May 27, which is only second to her American training partner Tori Bowie, who clocked her world leader of 21.77 in the same race ahead of Miller-Uibo.

In the men's high jump, Grand Bahamian Donald Thomas had to settle for sixth place after he got out-done by four other competitors on fewer knockdowns at 2.27 metres or 7-feet, 51/4-inches.

While everybody ahead of him had good clearance in the first three heights, Thomas didn't get over the second mark of 2.15m (7-0 1/2) until his second attempt after a successful opening of 2.10m (6-10 3/4).

He then cleared 2.19m (7-21/4) on his first attempt, but didn't get 2.23m (7-3 3/4) and 2.27m (7-5 1/4) until his third and final tries. After that, he cleared all three attempts at 2.29m (7-6), the winning height by Andriy Protsenko from the Ukraine.