The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

Another pair of world leading victory performances, including a personal best in the 100 metres, was logged into Shaunae Miller-Uibo’s account at the Back to the Track: Clermont Series over the weekend.

In contrasting style to her now specialised 200/400m double where she posted the world’s best times then of 50.52 in the 400m and 22.61 in the 200m at the Montverde Academy in Montverde, Florida two weeks ago, Miller-Uibo displayed her youthful versatility at the National Training Centre in Clermont, Florida on Friday and Saturday.

In a span of one hour on Friday, Miller-Uibo produced the fastest qualifying time of 11.03 in the women’s 100m, only to come back and clinch her lifetime best of 10.98 in the final, surpassing the previous world-leading mark of 11-flat by Jamaica’s Olympic and world champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce two weeks ago in Kingston, Jamaica.

“The meet was great,” Miller-Uibo told The Tribune. “I was glad for the opportunity to compete again seeing that not much is happening because of the pandemic.”

As a result of her century time, the 26-year-old Miller-Uibo joined a lofty group of just four women to run sub-11s in the 100m, sub-22s in the 200m and sub-49s in the 400m.

The list comprises France’s Marie José-Pérec (10.96 in the 100m, 21.99 in the 200m and 48.25 in the 400m), American Valerie Brisco-Hooks (10.99, 21.81 and 48.83) and Germany’s Marita Koch (10.83, 21.71 and 47.60, which stands as the world record from October 6, 1985).

With such historic feats to her ledger, Miller-Uibo, representing Adidas and Pure Athletic Track Club, returned on Saturday to conclude the two-day meet by lowering her world-leading time to 21.98 with her victory in the 200m.

She can now boast of having her name inked on the world’s fastest times of 10.98 in the 100, 21.98 in the 200 and 50.52 in the 400m, the latter coming at her previous double dip at the Showdown in Otown Meet at the Montverde Academy where she posted her previous world’s best of 22.61.

“I feel great about the times I did at the meet,” Miller-Uibo said. “It was great to be able to hit subs 11, 22 and 49 and be the fourth female to ever do it.”

In the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic that has halted sports globally in March, Miller-Uibo has been on a tear as she re-established her dominance of the sport coming out of her loss (48.37) to Bahrain’s Salwa Eid Naser (48.14) at last September’s World Championships in Doha, Qatar. The Rio 2016 Olympic Games 400m champion snatched the straight away title in Clermont from American Tamari Davis, the second place finisher in 11.15 and Aleia Hobbs, who ran in race 2, got third in 11.16.

In the preliminaries, Miller-Uibo was trailed by Natalliah Whyte of Puma in 11.15, while Davis, representing Adidas, had the third fastest time of 11.18.

And in the half-lap race, she was no match for second-place finisher Jasmine Camacho-Quinn, who ran 22.45 and Lynna Irby, third in 22.47.

“I am satisfied with my performances for the three events this year,” Miller-Uibo stressed. “It shows that I am in good shape despite all of the challenges that are ongoing.”

During the meet, Miller-Uibo got a chance to watch as her husband, Estonia’s decathlete Maicel Uibo, finished 13th overall in the men’s 100m in 11.20 on Friday and fellow Adidas/Pure Athletics team-mate Steven Gardiner take second in the men’s 200m in 1996 on Saturday.

American Noah Lyles won both events in 9.93 in the 100m and 19.94 in the 200m, both now listed as the world leading times.

Since the return of track and field competition this year after a three-month hiatus due to the coronavirus, Miller-Uibo suffered just one loss and that was in the virtual meeting in a rarely ran 150m at the Weltklasse Zurich Virtual Inspirational Games on July 9th.

In a race that was ran simultaneously in three different locations, Allyson Felix, the most decorated American female sprinter and a 34-year-old mother, turned in the fastest time of 16.81 in Walnut, California.

Miller-Uibo, competing out of Bradenton, Florida, was second in 17.15 and Switzerland’s Mujinga Kambundji, the 28-year-old World Championships’ 200m bronze medalist, was third in 17.38 as she competed in Zurich.

Miller-Uibo’s time of 21.74 in the 200m in Zurich in August and 48.37 in the 400m in October World Championships in Doha are listed as the Bahamas’ national records. Her 100m time, however, is off the mark held by Chandra Sturrup, 10.84, that she posted in Lausanne, Switzerland on July 5, 2005.

As a junior in 2013 after she completed her tenure at St Augustine’s College, Miller-Uibo left her mark on the national records with times of 22.45 in the 200m at the Bahamas Nationals in Grand Bahama and 50.70 in the 400m for the University of Georgia at the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Oregon.

It was the same year she earned the Austin Sealy Award title of the Carifta Games at the Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium as the most outstanding athlete.

The only junior national record she didn’t hold onto was the 100m – that is occupied by Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie, who ran 11.19 in 1995.

Miller-Uibo had ran a 11.94 as a junior in 2009 at the Carifta Games, but it was wind-aided. She switched to the 200/400m combo following that regional junior games.

Earlier this month, Miller-Uibo was among a list of 24 athletes named to the newly created board called The Athletics Association (TAA) that was formed to safeguard the global interest of track and field athletes.

The board is headed by American Olympic and world champion male triple jumper Christian Taylor.

While Miller-Uibo admitted that she’s not sure exactly when her next meet will take place, she noted that she intent to continue training and competing until the season come to a close and she can take a break to prepare for 2021 when the 2020 Olympic Games, which has been postponed because of Covid-19, is scheduled to take place.

She had made a plea to the International Olympic Committee and the World Athletics to amend the schedule so that she can go for the 200/400m double, but that request has not been granted as yet.