The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

Although there’s no indoor championships to compete in this year, national record holder hurdler Devynne Charlton continues to shine, while men’s 400m national record holder Steven Gardiner made his return to action after a year of inactivity over the weekend.

The duo competed in two separate meets, but led a Bahamian contingent of athletes in action across the United States of America.

New Balance Indoor Grand Prix

Charlton posted a season’s best of 7.87 seconds to win the women’s 60 metre hurdles after she led the race from start to finish at The Track at New Balance in Boston, Massachusetts. Her nearest rival was American Sharinka Nelvis in 7.93 for second.

“It was a great race, but I just have to continue to work on my technique,” said Charlton, who fell short of her national indoor record of 7.81 that she posted in winning the silver medal at last year’s World Indoor Championships in Belgrade, Serbia.

“I had a great start, but I think I lost a lot of momentum in the middle of the race going over the second or third hurdle, but I was still able to finish off the race pretty strong. So I think that was the highlight of the race.”

With one more race to go, Charlton said her and Bahamian coach Rolando ‘Lonnie’ Greene, the head coach at the University of Kentucky, have identified what they need to correct and hopefully they will iron it out before she competes in her final indoor meet this weekend in New York.

“I feel pretty good. I feel like I’m in a better spot than where I was this time last year,” said Charlton, who after her success at World Indoor Championships, made the finals of the 100m hurdles at the World Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Oregon and capped off the year with a bronze at the NACAC Championships in Grand Bahama where she also ran on the women’s silver medal 4 x 100m relay team.

“I am just looking forward to identifying the deficiencies that I experienced indoors and hopefully working on them as I prepare for the outdoors,” Charlton said.

“I’m looking forward to hopefully getting a medal in Worlds this year. That is the main goal right now.”

Back on the track, Anthonique Strachan, still training in Jamaica, had to settle for eighth place in the women’s 60m in 7.40, trailing seven other Americans, led by champion Aleia Hobbs, who won in 7.02.

Strachan had the eighth fastest qualifying time of 7.32 after she was fourth in her heat.

On the field, Thomas, the Grand Bahama native, was second in the men’s high jump with a leap of 7-feet, 3 ¾-inches or 2.23 metres.

He was beaten out by Tejaswin Shankar of India in 7-5 (2.26m).

South Carolina Invitational

Gardiner, returning to action after almost a year of inactivity due to an injury, placed third in the men’s 300m in 33.03.

The Abaco native representing Adidas, trailed Michael Cherry of Nike, who won in 32.66 with Great Britain’s Matthew Hudson-Smith, competing for Puma, coming in second in 32.72.