The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

THE International Amateur Athletic Federation’s Diamond League Final will probably be one of those memorable meets for quarter-miler Steven Gardiner.

For the second straight year, he suffered his share of misfortunes, this time leading the men’s 400 metres off the final turn, only to pull up with cramps before he tried to re-exert himself. But the pressure was too much yesterday, so he stopped again and eventually walked across the finish line at the Letzigrund Stadium.

It’s the second time that Gardiner didn’t get to cash in on the hefty cash prizes awarded by the IAAF to the winners in the first of two Finals after they worked so hard in the 12 meets to qualify to compete in the showdown that concludes tonight with the remaining finals in Brussels, Belgium, that were not contested in Zurich.

Watching Gardiner perform, you wanted it so bad for him because he was definitely ahead of the class of competitors that he lined up against. He took control of the race coming off the final curve and even when he first pulled up and accelerated again, he was still in control.

Unfortunately, things didn’t go his way the rest of the race as the field passed him one by one. Realising that he was caught in “no man’s land,” Gardiner decided to just complete the race. Another year, another disappointment you might say, but I like the way his coach Gary Evans put it.

There’s more to life than money.

Life will go on for Gardiner. He will bounce back like he did after suffering an injury on June 9 that prevented him from competing again until August 22. He came here looking quite fit and ready to compete. I watched him in practice. So it was a shocker when he pulled up.

But this is sports and so you should be prepared to expect the unexpected.

Some things are just not meant to be and this is one of them. Despite pulling up, he was able to walk off the track and out of the stadium unassisted. So that is a good sign as he prepares himself for another long haul that will culminate in 2019 with the IAAF World Championships in Doha, Qatar.

Gardiner, who turns 23 on September 12, is the reigning World Championship silver medallist. He took over this year as the leading quarter-miler after world record holder Wayde van Niekerk of South Africa went down in a freak accident while playing soccer. He has yet to return to the track.

Today, the attention switches to Brussels where we will follow the performances of Shaunae Miller-Uibo in the women’s 200m and Donald Thomas in the men’s high jump as the other half of the Diamond League Final is completed. It will be interesting to watch how they prevail in their respective events. Hopefully their stories will be a little more glaring on the track and field.