The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

REIGNING Olympic 400m gold medalist Shaunae Miller-Uibo showed that she’s ready to take on her assault of the 200m crown at the postponed 2020 games in Tokyo, Japan in July.

In a show of pure dominance to match her performance in this year, Miller-Uibo took the lead from the start and was unchallenged as she slowed down at the end to take the win in the women’s 200m in 22.08 seconds at the Adidas Boost Boston Games on Boylston Street.

“It was a pretty easy and comfortable run,” said Miller-Uibo of Sunday’s race on the temporary track set up near the Boston Marathon finish line in Copley Square.

Multiple Bahamian national record holder Miller-Uibo, who previously set world bests of 21.76 in her initial appearance at the games in the 200m in 2017 and 16.23 in the 150m in 2018, added her third title at the games with a 0.32 seconds margin of victory over her nearest rival American Kortnei Johnson.

Johnson came through in a lifetime best of 22.40 for second, followed closely by compatriot Wadeline Jonathas in her personal best of 22.57.

It was season’s bests for Trinidad & Tobago’s Michelle-Lee Ahye in 22.62 and fellow Bahamian Tynia Gaither in 22.96 as they rounded out the field in fourth and fifth respectively.

Gaither, 28, has had a relatively good season so far this year, qualifying for her second straight Olympics with a season’s best of 11.02 in the century and has ran 23.11 in the half-lap race with a legal time of 23.11 and a wind-aided 22.70.

The Grand Bahamian native made it to the finals of the women’s 200m in the past two World Athletics’ World Championships in London, Great Britain in 2017 and in Doha, Qatar in 2019, placing eighth in both attempts.

Meanwhile, 27-year-old Miller-Uibo thanked God for allowing her the ability to continue to perform as well as she’s doing in an undefeated season so far.

She said the goal is to remain healthy as she go to Tokyo and challenge for the 200m title to add to the 400m gold she earned in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 2017.

“The last few weeks, we’ve been dealing with a few minor injuries, but we’re getting through it and just taking everything one step at a time,” admitted Miller-Uibo, whose last international showing produced a stunning silver medal performance at the World Championships in Doha in 2019.

The meet was also expected to see a clash of the last two men’s world champions in the Epson men’s 200m as Bahamian Steven Gardiner (2019 400m world champion) took on South Africa’s Wayde van Niekerk (400m world record holder), who is now a training partner of Miller-Uibo and American sprinter Noah Lynes in Florida.

But 25-year-old Gardiner had to withdraw from the meet after he slipped and fell down in the final 10-15m at the USATF Open last week in Fort Worth, Texas and didn’t finish the men’s 400m race.

His manager, Claude Bryan, the chief executive Officer of On Track Management Inc, said the Bahamian national 200 and 400m record holder had some issues with his ankle during the race and on Thursday he had to have an out-patient procedure done.

“He should be back to 100 percent efficiency in short order,” Bryan said.

In Gardiner’s absence in Boston, van Nierkerk competed in his first race since relocating to the United States to train with Miller-Uibo under coach Lance Brauman’s Pure Athletics team.

But after running a pair of performances in South Africa that included 20.38 and a 20.10 wind-aided, van Nierkirk suffered a slight muscle pull and coasted to the finish line in fourth in 20.86. Canadian Jerome Blake won the race in a personal best of 19.89.

Gardiner has produced a season’s best of 20.71 on Februry 6, but he’s yet to contest a 400m where he’s the reigning world champion. He’s hoping to pursue his first Olympic medal in the one-lap race in Tokyo.

The Abaco native, who train in Florida as well, was a member of the men’s 4 x 400m relay team that brought home a bronze medal from Rio in 2017.