The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

After a five-week break to deal with an ankle injury, it was business as usual for high hurdler Devynne Charlton.

In her first meet since competing at the Drake Relays in Des Moines, Iowa, Charlton lined up at the Irena Szewinska Memorial, this season’s eighth World Athletics Continental Tour in Bydgoszcz, Poland where she placed second in the women’s 100 metre hurdles.

Her time of 12.64 equalled her season’s best she ran prior to the slight injury, so Charlton was quite content trailing NACAC champion Alaysha Johnson of the United States of America, who touched the tape in 12.41.

Looking back at her performance after she ran a 12.60 for sixth two days ago in another meet, Charlton said she’s right where she wants to be heading into the remainder of the season. “To come off the plane and run a 12.6 isn’t bad, considering the adjustment you have to make with the time zone, sleeping and eating at different times,” Charlton said. “I’m happy with the performance. I could have executed a little better, but I will take the time.”

As for her race, Charlton admitted that she still has to work on the middle aspect of her race. Once she can get it together, she feels she will be a force to reckon with this year.

“The good thing is I have some time to go back to training and work on it,” said Charlton, who noted that she’s hoping to compete in a few more meets in a few weeks before she comes home in July.

The 27-year-old Bahamian national record holder is the leading candidate for the title at the Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations’ Senior and Junior National Championships from July 4-6, but she know that there are some young hungry contenders on her trail.

The Nationals will serve as the final trials for selection to Team Bahamas for the World Championships in Budapest, Hungary from August 19-26. While she’s Bahamian over two lined up in the same event with her.

“These young girls are doing extremely well,” said Charlton, of competitors such as Charisma Taylor and Denisha Cartwright, two of the leading performers. “It would be nice to have at least three of us in the same event at the World Championships.

“We’ve never done it before where we had three competitors (the maximum a country is allowed) to compete in the hurdles. We normally have two, me and Pedrya Seymour. So it would be nice if we could get three.”

And like there is a push to get the additional competitors, Charlton still have one thing on her mind. That is trying to get on the podium like she did at the World Indoor Championships in Belgrade, Serbia where she won a silver and duplicated the feat at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England and NACAC Championships in Grand Bahama.

“I would like to continue where I left off last year,” said Charlton, who also made the finals at the World Championships in Eugene, Oregon. “It would be nice to win a medal there.”

Charlton has never won a medal at the World Championships or the Olympic Games. But she’s hoping this is her year to shine at World’s before she pursue the Olympics in Paris, France next year.