The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

Not that many athletes participated in the Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations' National Open Track and Field Championships in Grand Bahama over the weekend.

But for those who did, it was an opportunity to showcase their talent before the Bahamian fans as they head to either or both the Pan American Games this weekend in Lima, Peru, and the International Amateur Athletic Federation's World Championships in Doha, Qatar, in September.

The Pan Am Games is currently underway, but the track and field competition is slated to start on Tuesday. The Bahamas Olympic Committee had announced a list of 15 athletes that will compete in the games, but not all of them participated in the nationals.

The Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations has not yet released the team going to Doha as there is still a window open for athletes to qualify. The deadline is August 16.

From the nationals, some of the athletes expected to compete in the two regional and global meets have shown that they are fit and ready for the long summer ahead.

Anthonique Strachan emerged as the double sprint champion, winning both the women's 100 metres and 200m. If it's any indication, she feels she's on the right track from the training she has gotten from Paul Francis in his MVP Club in Jamaica.

"I'm just hoping that I can make it through the rounds and get into the finals," Strachan said. "Hopefully I can run season's best or personal bests so that I can get ready for the Worlds."

Strachan is expected to be joined by women's 100m runner-up Ty'Nia Gaither, who enjoyed being back home and running in front of the home crowd after she took a two-week break coming back from Switzerland where she last competed. "I am going for the double at Pan Am," said Gaither, who intends to run both the women's 100 and 200 metres. "I just ran a personal best a few weeks ago, so I know I'm ready to compete.

"I just have to get in some good practices. I know I was a little bit flat here and that was because I took the two weeks break. But once I can get the practices in, I should be ready to go to Peru."

Gaither is currently training in Houston, Texas, under coach Eric Francis, a physiotherapist who also coached American Michelle Lee.

Male century champion Shavez Hart is not on the team to Peru, but he's hoping that he can qualify for Doha.

"I have until September to qualify, so hopefully I can go back to training and get in a few meets to make the World Championship team," said Hart, who trains out of Clermont, Florida.

Teray Smith, the runner-up in both the men's 100 and 200m, is also looking ahead to Doha, although he has not yet made the standard.

"Hopefully I can take it day and day in practice and not rush the process," said Smith about his chances of qualifying.

"I sprained my hamstring earlier in the season, so I have to train smart now and try not to get injured in the latter part of the season."

Men's 400m hurdles champion Jeffery Gibson, who was also voted in as the athletes' representative, will be heading to Peru to defend his title won four years ago in Toronto, Canada, in 2015.

"I just have to put a little more grit into my races and step it down a bit. I think I need to work on the last surge in the last three hurdles and I think I can have a complete race," said the national Bahamian record holder.

"I feel good from the first to seven hurdles, but eight, nine and ten are where I think I really need to change my game. I want to go to Pan Am and retain my title. I feel like I can do it if I can get the latter path of my race together."

Shaunae Miller-Uibo, the women's 400m champion, will head directly to the World Championships where she will be aiming for her first world title to go along with her silver in 2015 in Beijing, China and bronze in London, England in 2017 when she attempted the 200/400m double, only to flatter from first to fourth in the 400m on a freaky occurrence in the final metres near the tape.

Grand Bahamian Alonzo Russell booked his ticket to the World Championships after his impressive run for second place behind champion Steven Gardiner in the men's 400m.

"World's is about two months from now, but I just want to concentrate on the Pan Am Games first," Russell said. "I hope that between the two meets, I can qualify for the Olympic Games next year. That's my main goal right now."

Men's high jump runner-up Jamal Wilson is also on his way to Peru for the Pan Am and he's looking to correct the mistakes he made at the nationals.

"I just have to be more consistent in every area," he said. "The height is there. I just have to go back to the drawing board before Pan Am and work on those areas that I didn't fear so well in here."

National 100m hurdles champion Pedrya Seymour said she's pacing herself for the long haul at the World Championships, but she's looking forward to the Pan Am on the way there.

"It's a long season so I'm pleased with where I'm at. My coach is preparing me for the World Championships, so I feel with some more speed work, I will be ready.

"I really want to run fast and PR. The last time I PRed was in 2016. So I'm with a new coach and this is my first year running professionally, so I'm ready."

Seymour finds herself in good company in the same training camp with Kendra Harrison, the world champion. They are both being coached by Edrick Floreal in Texas.

"It's hard. It's a lot more work," she insisted. "He's training me to be ready and to be a well-rounded athlete because I'm doing a lot more long distances like the 200m. It's a different programme, but I feel I will be ready because I'm training with the best.

"Every day is like an Olympic final training with her (Harrison). She's the best. I also train with Jasmine Camscho-Quinn. She was third in the world last year. So just training with the best, I feel like I'm well prepared."

Devynne Charlton, the women's 100m hurdles runner-up, will be going to Pan Am where she feels she can shine over the flight of ten hurdles to improver on her seventh-place finish at the last Pan Am in 2015 in Toronto.

"I had a pretty good start here and so I feel if I can work on just holding my form when I get there, I should have a very good race," Charlton summed up.

Track and field is a part of the Bahamian delegation at the games, which got started this week with Justin Roberts and Baker Newman competing in the men's singles in tennis and as doubles partners.

While they both reached the second round in doubles before they got eliminated, they were ousted in the first round in doubles.

Also on Tuesday, the swimming competition will begin with the Bahamas represented by Albury Higgs, Lilly Higgs, Laura Morley, Ariel Weech, DeVante Carey, N'Nhyn Fernander, Jared Fritzgerald, Gershwin Greene, William Tyler and Luke-Kennedy Thompson.

The Bahamas will also be represented by Cynthia Rahmning in judo when the women's elimination takes place on Saturday, August 10. Her father, D'Arcy Rahming, serves as the chef de mission.