The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

ZURICH, Switzerland — More concerned about his health rather than the wealth, Bahamas double national record holder Steven Gardiner took the precautionary measures in a freaky finish in the men’s 400 metres as he shut it down on the home stretch yesterday during the International Amateur Athletic Federation’s 2018 Weltklasse Zurich Diamond League Final.

Unlike last year when he slipped in the blocks at the start of his initial final and didn’t finish, Gardiner eventually got up and completed the race as he walked across the finish line in eighth place in 47.37 seconds in front of the 30,000-plus cheering fans at Letzigrund stadium.

The United States of America pulled off a 1-2 sweep as Fred Kerley took advantage of Gardiner’s misfortune to power through in 44.80 for a $50,000 cash prize ahead of Nathan Strother in 44.93 and $20,000 for second with Great Britain’s Matthew Hudson-Smith claiming third place in 44.95 and $10,000.

Immediately after he realised what had happened, Kerley was the first to return and check on Gardiner in a show of sportsmanship.

Coming off an injury he sustained in the 200m in Stockholm, Sweden, the third of the 12 Diamond League meets that qualified athletes for the two-day extravaganza that will conclude tonight in Brussels, Belgium, Gardiner said he wanted to play it safe rather than be sorry so he decided to stop rather than continue running the race. “I felt so good coming off the two turns,” said Gardiner, who made a successful return to compete on August 22 at the 9th Kamila Skolomowska Memorial Meeting in Chorzow, Poland with a victory. “Coming home, I felt some cramps and so I decided to stop right there. I didn’t want to tear or pull anything.”

As he positioned himself for the home stretch, the lanky, six-foot, 2-inch 22-year-old got caught with the cramps and decided to shut it down. “I feel good. I didn’t question it,” he said. “I just had to do what I had to do and stop.”

Although he didn’t question the decision, Gardiner said he wasn’t concerned that the race got away from him again.

Maybe the change in weather had something to do with it as the conditions switched from sunny to chilly overnight. Whatever it was, Gardiner was not going to let it dampen his spirit.

“I’m not disappointed because I knew that I was going to win,” he stated. “I already made my move. It felt so good coming home. I didn’t feel any lactic acid so I knew I could do it. But everything happened for a reason.”

It’s the second trip to the Diamond League Final that Gardiner failed to get a piece of the jackpot with one of the top finishes in the race. But he said he felt good for 300m, knowing that he was in control of his own destiny this time.

But he admitted that there’s always next year and he will go home and recuperate before he starts preparing for the trek towards the IAAF World Championships in Doha, Qatar, and the Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, in 2020.

His coach Gary Evans said it wasn’t the finish they anticipated, but there’s nothing they can do about it. “Unbelievable. When you see an athlete coming off the curve in control of the race, there’s no doubt that he would have won the race,” said Evans, who is in his second year as Gardiner’s coach. “He kind of pulled up and started again and was still in front. It was just one of those freak accidents that happened.

“Being a smart runner, I think he really thought about it because he knew that his career is bigger than this one race. I think as an athlete, he did the right thing because you want to make sure that you are alright first. People think about the money, money, money, but like they say, money is the root of all evil. So let it go and live to fight another day.”

Despite not coming out in the money hunt as one of the top contenders again this year, Evans said he’s very proud of Gardiner and his accomplishments this year.

“I definitely think that he was the best 400m runner this year, although he didn’t get it in that last race,” Evans said. “Hats off to Fred Kerley. He ran an excellent race. He deserves it. Now, Stevie will go home and prepare for the World Championships in 2019. You work for 42 (seconds) now. I think if he didn’t get hurt this year, he would have ran 43. He has to get to the next level, which is 42.”

While Gardiner fell short of his goal to redeem himself from last year, two more Bahamians will be in action tonight as they search for gold in the AG Memorial Van Damme Diamond League Final in Brussels, Belgium. It’s the second of the two finals that athletes had to earn points from 12 meets to qualify to compete in.

The two finals were split with 16 champions crowned in Zurich and 16 more in Brussels.

Last year, Shaunae Miller-Uibo claimed the 200/400m double, but she will only go after the 200m. She will be joined by Donald Thomas who, like Gardiner, is chasing his first Diamond League triumph.