By Brent Stubbs

Friday, September 11, 2020

#TENNIS is back and so is Bahamian John Farrington as he takes advantage of the opportunity to continue his coaching career with a number of players on the international scene.

#The former national champion and Davis Cup player/captain, is currently working with touring players American Austin Krajicek from College Station, Texas and Franko Skugor from Croatia in a tournament in Kitzbuhel, Austria through Sunday when they will head to Rome for their next tournament before they prepare for the French Open at the Stade Roland-Garros in Paris, France at the end of the month.

#Over the past year, Farrington was coaching Krajicek, who started playing doubles first time now with Skugor. The duo are seeded at No.4 at the Generali Open.

#“He works extremely hard and he is improving each and every day,” said Farrington, of Krajicek. “Franko just started playing doubles, so they have formed a great combination.”

#Krajicek, just after he and Skugor pulled off a 5-7, 6-3, 7-6 win over Nikola Cacic and Dusan Ljovic from Serbia in their first round match on Tuesday, said they’ve had a pretty good year so far, despite the pandemic.

#“We’ve got in a few days before Cincinnati and we had a good tournament there and we’ve gotten off to a great start here at this tournament,” Karajicek said. “We just have to stay healthy. If we can do that, I think we can do some damage.”

#As a coach, Krajicek said Farrington’s work ethic has rubbed off on both he and Skugor and they can’t help but improve.

#“We want to get the wins, so Franko and I are just dotting our Is and crossing our Ts. That’s what it comes down to, just putting in the work and adjusting to play the match. So it’s a great fit for us and we’re making it work.”

#With tennis slowly making its way back to the international scene amid the coronavirus pandemic, Farrington said they are all excited about getting back on the court.

#“It’s different with no spectators. They are trying to keep us in a sort of bubble where we have to wear our masks, except for when you are on the court playing,” he said.

#“We’re tested just about every day or at least every other day, so they are trying to keep us all safe and healthy.”

#Krajicek, a 30-year-old southpaw, said the Covid-19 environment is obviously different from what they are used to since he turned pro in 2012, but they’re making the necessary adjustments. “There are a few fans this week, so it’s starting to look a little normal,” he said. “But it’s going to take some time wearing a mask everywhere and having to go through all of the protocols and having to get the acceptance letters from the various governments to travel to the countries.

#“We have to do what we have to do, but I think we are all enjoying it and excited to be back and playing in some tournaments. That’s all that we could ask for. We’re just delighted to have John around as our coach. He helps to get us through the day off the court.”

#Since 1998, Farrington has been coaching on the circuit, having worked with such players as Bahamian Mark Knowles and his long time partner Daniel Nestor from Canada and later his partner Nenad Zimonjic from Serbia in addition to Bahamian Mark Merklein and India’s doubles duo of Mahesh Bhupathi and Leander Paes, Oliver Marach from Austria and Mate Pavie from Croatia.

#At times, he also coached Anastasia Rodionova from Australia; Alla Kudryavsteva from Russia and Sania Mirza from India on the WTA Tour and is currently working with identical twin sisters Nadia and Lyudemelia Kichenck from the Ukraine.

#“It was good to coach some players who were number one in the world and the goal is to get back to the level where I can coach some players who can become number one,” said Farrington of Skugor and Krajicek, who are the highest ranked at No. 33 and 36 respectively.

#While he’s doing his coaching chores, Farrington is also keeping an eye on the up and coming local tennis players, including Justin Roberts, who at age 23, is currently ranked at 786 in singles and 936 in doubles.

#“I know he have a bright future ahead of him,” Farrington said. “So I’m keeping an eye on him and also Jacobi Bain, who attend Albury Academy and hit with some of the top players whenever they visit the Bahamas.”

#Farrington, who resides in Asheville, North Carolina, is the son of former veteran tennis player and hotelier J Barrie Farrington; was the Director of Tennis at the One and Only Ocean Club for 14 years and competed in the ATP Tour for seven years.

#He was also an 11-time national champion in singles and doubles; represented the Bahamas on the Davis Cup for 10 years and coached the Bahamas team of Knowles and Merklein at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece and Knowles and Devin Mullings at the 2008 Games in Beijing, China.

STEVEN GARDINER

Friday, May 4, 2018

• r

#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#STEVEN Gardiner’s much anticipated race with Botswana’s Isaacs Makwala was a “no contest” as he opened his 2018 400 metre campaign with a record breaking and world leading time of 43.87 seconds in Doha, Qatar.

#In one of the marquee events on Friday to kick off the 2018 IAAF Diamond League, Gardiner erased his national record of 43.89 that he ran in the semifinal of the IAAF World Championships last year on his way to winning the silver medal. He also broke the previous meet record of 44.19.

#As one of three Bahamians competing in the meet, Gardiner, 22, finished the one-lap race well ahead of Qatar’s Abdalleleh Hardoun, who did 44.50 to hold off Makwala, a third place finisher in 44.92.

#Gardiner, the 6-feet, 2-inches native from Abaco, also surpassed Makwala’s previous world leading time of 44.35 that he ran for victory at the Commonwealth Games in the Gold Coast, Australia – an event that Gardiner missed because of his travel documents.

#“Based on training and how this year has been going, the 200 is a bit faster now,” said Gardiner, who holds the second fastest time in the half-lap race in his new Bahamian national record of 19.75 that placed him behind Republic of South Africa’s Clarence Munyai with 19.69.

#“Just before I came here, I did a race model and so I’m right on pace. My coach (Gary Evans) told me I would run 43 and I didn’t know if I was going to come through, but he was correct.”

#The two other Bahamians competing in the meet were Donald Thomas and Jamal Wilson in the men’s high jump as the two met for the first time since the Commonwealth Games.

#Thomas, coming of his fourth place finish at the Commonwealth Games, took third place with a leap of 2.30 metres or 7-feet, 6 1/2-inches, while Wilson, the silver medalist in the Gold Coast, was ninth with 2.20m (7-2 1/2).

#Qatar’s Mutaz Essa Barshim, the reigning IAAF World Outdoor and Indoor champion and Olympic silver medalist, soared to victory before the home crowd with a leap of 2.40m (7-10 1/2).

#Next up on the series of 14 meetings in the Diamond League will be Shanghai, China on Saturday, May 12 where Gardiner will be back for a repeat performance in the 400m. He will be joined by Bahamian twin tower Shaunae Miller-Uibo in the women’s 200m.

#Miller-Uibo, 24, will be competing in her first meet since winning the gold medal in the 200m in the Gold Coast. She will face the challenge from two-time world champion Dafne Schippers from the Netherlands.

#See Monday’s Tribune for a comprehensive report.

Steven Gardiner and Shaunae Miller-Uibo.

aturday, May 12, 2018

#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#Bahamian twin towers Steven Gardiner and Shaunae Miller-Uibo sparkled at the International Amateur Athletic Federation’s Shanghai Diamond League Meet on Saturday by winning the men’s 400 and women’s 200 metres in record-breaking times.

#Gardiner, coming off his sensational world-leading 43.87 seconds in Doha, Qatar on May 4 at the first of the 12 Diamond League events before the two finals are held at the end of the year, pulled away for another fantastic performance as he took the men’s one-lap race in 43.99.

#In the process, the 22-year-old 6-feet, 2-inches Abaco native and former Moores Island student, erased the meet record of 44.02 that was set by American Jeremy Wariner in 2007 and tied by Grenada’s Kirani James in 2013. The 2017 IAAF World Championship silver medalist is running both the 200 and 400m this year.

#Once again, Gardiner beat a talented field that included Botswana’s triple Commonwealth Games gold medalist Isaacs Makwala, who had to settle for second in a season’s best of 44.23 after he got third in the first meeting of the three top performers in the world so far this year. Makwala switched places with Qatar’s Abdalleleh Haroun, who was third in 44.51. Haroun, the World Championship bronze medalist, was second in Qatar.

#As for Miller-Uibo, she made her 2018 IAAF Diamond League debut an impressive one. She ran away with the women’s 200m in 22.06 for her season’s best and a meet record, replacing the previous mark of 22.36 that was held by Nigeria’s Blessing Okagbare-Ighoteguonor from 2014.

#The 24-year-old 6-1 Miller-Uibo, a native of Nassau and a graduate of St Augustine’s College, was just short of posting the fastest time in the world. She trails Okagbare-Ighoteguonor, who managed 22.04 in Abilene, Texas on March 24. Miller, the 2016 Olympic bronze medalist is coming off her triumph at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

#In securing her win, Miller-Uibo got the best of the much anticipated showdown against Netherland’s two-time world champion Dafnee Schippers, second in her season’s best of 22.34; Jamaican Commonwealth Games’ silver medalist Shericka Jackson third in 22.36 and Ivory Coast’s Marie-Josée Ta Lou, double silver medalist at the World Championships, fourth in 22.58. Ta Lou switched to the half-lap race after turning in a lifetime and world leading time of 10.85 in the century in Doha.

#The next event on the Diamond League is the Prefontaine Classic at the Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon from May 25-26 where Gardiner will have to move down to the 200m and Miller-Uibo will move up to the 400m. The Diamond League series closes out with the two finals at the Weltklasse in Zurich, Switzerland on August 30 and the AG Memorial Van Damme in Brussels, Belgium on August 31.

Shaunae Miller-Uibo reacts after winning the women’s 200m race, during the Weltklasse IAAF Diamond League international athletics meeting in the stadium Letzigrund in Zurich, Switzerland, Thursday. (Jean-Christophe Bott/Keystone via AP)

Friday, August 30, 2019

#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#Bahamian Shaunae Miller-Uibo completed the hat trick, winning her third consecutive International Amateur Athletic Federation’s Diamond League women’s 200 metre final in grand style.

#On Thursday in the Stadion Letzigrund at the Weltklasse Zurich in Zurich, Switzerland, Miller-Uibo clocked a personal best of 21.74 seconds to shatter the Diamond League record of 21.77 that was set by American Tori Bowie in 2017.

#In the process, she lowered her Bahamian national record of 21.88 that she set in winning last year’s title and also surpassed the world-leading mark of 22.00 that was established by Jamaica’s Elaine Thompson on June 23 at the Jamaican Nationals.

#Great Britain’s Dina Asher-Smith produced a season’s best of 22.08, while Elaine Thompson had to settle for third in 22.44. Netherlands’ Dafne Schippers ended up fourth in 22.48.

Shaunae Miller-Uibo on her way to winning the women’s 200m (Ennio Leanza/Keystone via AP)

#It was Miller-Uibo’s third consecutive victory in the women’s 200m and her fourth IAAF Diamond League title as she also captured the 400m in the first year of her reign in 2017.

#Now still undefeated in 25 races since she the last World Championships in 2017 in London, England where she got fourth in the 400m and bronze in the 200m, Miller-Uibo now heads to the IAAF World Championships in Doha, Qatar, September 27-October 6 where she will attempt to win her first 400m title.

#Miller-Uibo, 25, is expected to be challenged by Bahrain’s Salwa Eid Naser, who earlier in the day, won the Diamond League 400m title in 50.24.

#For her efforts on Thursday, Miller-Uibo earned a cash prize of $50,000 for the completion of the 12 event series that started in Doha on May 3 and ended in Paris, France on Saturday.

Jamaica’s Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Shaunae Miller-Uibo and Great Britain’s Dina Asher-Smith.

\ Thursday, August 22, 2019

#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#With her performance in the Muller Grand Prix, Shaunae Miller-Uibo is heading to Zurich, Switzerland, next week for a hat trick as the International Amateur Athletic Federation’s Diamond League 200 metre champion.

#Last year in Brussels, Belgium, Miller-Uibo capped off her season by claiming the half-lap victory at the end of the 12-race series for the second straight year in 22.12 seconds over Netherland’s Dafne Schippers, the runner-up in 22.53.

#With the IAAF using a new format for the final in 2017 where the athletes, who qualified, competed in the final and secured their titles based on their single performances rather than the overall points accumulated, Miller-Uibo took the 200m crown in Zurich in 21.88 and added the 400m in 49.46 in Brussels.

#This year, 25-year-old Miller-Uibo has locked down the sixth place with 16 points from her pair of victories in Birmingham, England, over the weekend and at the Herculis in Monaco in 22.09 on July 11.

#The women’s 200m final will take place on Thursday, August 29 at the Weltklasse Zurich in Zurich, Switzerland where, according to her manager Claude Bryan, Miller-Uibo is “training and getting ready.”

#Among the competitors expected to be matched against Miller-Uibo are Great Britain’s points leader Dina Asher-Smith, Schippers, Jamaica’s Elaine Thompson, Nigeria’s Blessing Okagbare and United States’ Jenna Prandini.

#The other two qualifiers are Netherland’s Jamile Samuel in seventh with 13 and Canada’s Crystal Emmanuel in eighth with 10.

#Americans Kyra Jefferson and Gabrielle Thomas round out the ninth and tenth spots with nine and seven points respectively.

#Miller-Uibo, the Bahamian double national record-breaker in the 200 (21.88) and 400m (48.97), holds the distinction of using her lanky 6-foot, 1-inch frame to beat all of her rivals, who she’s expected to face in Zurich.

#In Monaco, Miller-Uibo topped the field in 22.09 as Thompson trailed in 22.44 with Schippers third in 22.45. American Teahna Daniels was fourth in 22.59, just ahead of Prandini in fifth in 22.66.

#And in Birmingham, her time of 22.24 on Sunday was well ahead of Asher-Smith’s 22.36 for second. Jamaica’s Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce was third in 22.50, but she won’t be a part of the 200m line-up at the Diamond League final.

#Miller-Uibo, however, meets Schippers again who was fourth in 22.81 and Okagbare, fifth in 22.83.

#Bryan, who heads the On Track Management group that also manages Bahamian male double 200/400m national record holder Steven Gardiner, confirmed that once Miller-Uibo is done in Zurich, the focus will switch to the 400m at the IAAF World Championships in Doha, Qatar, September 27 to October 6.

#“That is what she has been prepared for by coach (Lance) Brauman all season,” Bryan said.

#He noted that Miller-Uibo intends to “make her fans in the Bahamas and globally real proud of her.”

#Since the last World Championships in London, England, where she attempted to go after a rare women’s 200/400m double, only to falter down the home stretch after relinquishing a huge lead for fourth place in a bizarre finish and a third place in the 200m, Miller-Uibo has reeled off an impressive 25-race winning streak in all events, including the 400m.

#With the schedule too compact this year in Doha with both the 200m and 400m heats a little over an hour in between on September 30 and the semi-finals on October 1, it’s not feasible for Miller-Uibo to pursue the double, although the 200m final is on October 2 and the 400m final on October 3.

#Bryan said they are hoping that there is some concession for Miller-Uibo to attempt it again at the Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan in 2020.

#“We have already petitioned the IAAF for Tokyo and I will be asking the BAAA to request the BOC’s assistance in this matter to further entreat the IAAF to request an adjustment to facilitate,” he said.

#Bryan said there’s no doubt that the Bahamas has a special gem in Miller-Uibo, one of the rare competitors who only comes along every blue moon.

#The reigning Olympic 400m champion in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 2016 is going after her first one-lap title in Qatar, adding to the silver she claimed in 2015 in Beijing, China.

#“On talent, she’s special, real special,” he summed up. “The trick is to now convert talent into results and her commitment to success and her preparation pertains to further good success.”

#Miller-Uibo is the only Bahamian eligible to compete in any of the two finals this year.

#National record holder Pedrya Seymour is the closest to joining her, occupying a tied 10th place with American Queen Claye with six points in the women’s 100m hurdles.

#Last year, Donald Thomas finished fifth in the men’s high jump in Brussels with a best of 2.29m, while in Zurich, Gardiner didn’t get to complete the men’s 400m.

#Neither Thomas or Gardiner has made the top 10 in the standings in their respective events this year.

#Jamal Wilson is 15th in the men’s high jump with five points.

Thursday, August 24, 2017

#By RENALDO DORSETT

#Tribune Sports Reporter

#rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

#Shaunae Miller-Uibo and Steven Gardiner continue their busy post-IAAF World Championships schedules on the Diamond League circuit.

#Miller-Uibo will be a part of a stacked field for the 200m while Gardiner will contest the 400m in the Diamond League Final today at Letzigrund Stadium in Zurich, Switzerland.

#The women’s 200m, scheduled for 2:24pm local time, will include the top three finishers from the recent World Championships in London – Dafne Schippers (Netherlands), Marie-Josee Ta Lou (Ivory Coast) and Miller-Uibo, alongside reigning Olympic champion Elaine Thompson (Jamaica)

#Less than a week ago, Miller-Uibo decided to run the 100m at the Grand Prix Birmingham in Birmingham, United Kingdom, and finished eighth in 11.37 seconds. She appeared alongside Schippers and Thompson at a promotional press conference yesterday ahead of the Diamond League Final.

#“The 100 in Birmingham was basically for speed work, coach threw me in there so I was just excited to get some 100s in. Just making it to the finals was a great experience for me and to come out with a PB was great.

#“It was speed work, I was pleased with it and I’m excited for this 200m running against a lot of great athletes and looking to great competition,” she said. “Me personally, I’m not one that takes on a lot of pressure so everything I do in track and field is just fun for me. Just to be able to compete with such a great class of girls and in a great country like Zurich. I’m excited and I’m just ready to compete.”

#The men’s 400m is scheduled for 3:43pm local time.

#Gardiner’s toughest challenge could come from Botswana’s Isaac Makwala who was forced out of the 400m World Championship final when he was placed in quarantine, suspected of having the norovirus.

#Gardiner and Makwala are the only two members of the field to dip under the 44-second barrier this season. Other noteworthy competitors today include Gil Roberts of the United States and Kevin Borlee of Belgium.

#This year’s Diamond League circuit is the first to feature the new championship-style system in which overall event winners are determined only by the results of the final meet.

#The winner will receive the coveted Diamond Trophy, which is endowed with $50,000 dollars.

#The Diamond League’s format was completely overhauled last offseason. The Diamond Race system used in previous years, in which athletes accumulated points through the season with double points in the finals, was replaced with a championship-style format in which earlier meets act as qualifying meets for the finals where the top eight or 12 athletes, depending on the event, will qualify.

#A total of 17 world champions and 14 Olympic champions from Rio are competing in Zurich.

#The participants have qualified in the previous 12 meetings of the Diamond League. Now the final competition decides the winner of the worldwide series.

#Miller-Uibo earned seven points and ranked ninth with her lone 200m on the circuit, a 21.91 second-place finish in May at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Oregon.

#Gardiner is ranked fourth in the 400m with a total of 16 points earned on a pair of Diamond League wins. He took first place in 44.60 in May in Doha, Qatar and again in 44.58 in June in Stockholm, Sweden.

#Vernon Norwood of the United States comes into the final as the highest ranked competitor with 19 points earned in four events.

Shaunae Miller-Uibo wins the women’s 200m followed by second placed Elaine Thompson of Jamaica, centre, and fourth placed Dafne Schippers of Netherlands, right, during the Weltklasse IAAF Diamond League international athletics meeting in the Letzigrund stadium in Zurich, Switzerland. (Walter Bieri/Keystone via AP)

Thursday, August 24, 2017

#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.mnet

#There were mixed fortunes for Bahamians Steven Gardiner and Shaunae Miller-Uibo at the IAAF Diamond League in Zurich, Switzerland on Thursday.

#After falling short of accomplishing the 200/400m double in London, Miller-Uibo had a spectacular showing in Zurich, taking the women’s 200m title in a personal best of 21.88 seconds.

#In the process, she lowered her national record for the second time this year, improving on the 21.91 that she ran at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Oregon on May 27.

#With her victory, Miller-Uibo earned a hefty $50,000 after she powered from behind to beat out Olympic double sprint champion Elaine Thompson from Jamaica, who was second in 21.91.

#She also turned the tables on Ta Lou, winner of the World Championships’ silver medal, who clocked 22.09 for third and Schippers, the World Championships’ winner, who got fourth in 22.36.

#Meanwhile, Gardiner, the men’s national 400 metre record holder, slipped and fell at the start of the men’s race and was unable to finish as Isaacs Makwala of Botswana went on to take the tape in 43.95 seconds.

#It was unexpected turn of events for Gardiner, who had a remarkable showing at the 16th IAAF World Championships in London, England earlier this month when he won the silver medal in the final and posted a national record of 43.89 in the semis.

#Miller-Uibo now joins Tonique Williams as the only Bahamian to win the year ending title – Williams winning when it was referred to as the IAAF Golden League in 2004.

#However, Miller-Uibo will have an opportunity for a first when she competes in the 400m at the second IAAF Diamond League Final that will take place at the AG Memorial Van Damme in Brussels, Belgium on Friday, September 1.

#Also at today’s meet was Donald Thomas, who could only muster a tie for ninth place in the men’s high jump with a leap of 2.20 metres or 7-feet, 2 ½-inches behind world champion Mutaz Essa Barshim from Qatar with his winning leap of 2.36m (7-8 ¾).

f Thursday, August 31, 2017

Shaunae Miller-Uibo wins the women’s 200m followed by second placed Elaine Thompson of Jamaica, centre, and fourth placed Dafne Schippers of Netherlands, right, during the Weltklasse IAAF Diamond League international athletics meeting in the Letzigrund stadium in Zurich, Switzerland. (Walter Bieri/Keystone via AP)

#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#WITH half of her mission complete, Shaunae Miller-Uibo will be in Brussels, Belgium, for the last half of the International Amateur Athletic Federation’s Diamond League Final where she will try to add the 400 metre title to the 200m crown she secured a week ago in Zurich, Switzerland.

#Coming off her national record-breaking performance of 21.88 seconds for the victory in the women’s 200m and a hefty cash prize of $50,000 at the Weltklasse Zurich on Friday, Miller-Uibo will go after a repeat feat when she lines up in the 400m at the AG Memorial Van Damme this Friday.

#“I’m expecting as always to compete,” the 23-year-old Miller-Uibo told The Tribune. “It’s going to be my last race for the season so I want to leave on a good note.”

#Going into the race, Miller-Uibo has the third (49.77 seconds), fourth (49.80) and fifth (49.86) fastest times that trail only Americans Allyson Felix (49.65) and Quanera Haynes (49.72), but none of them will be in Brussels. Instead, she will face one of the three women who came from behind as she faltered down the stretch at the IAAF World Championships in London, England, falling from the lead to fourth.

#Salwa Naser, the silver medallist in London, will be among the field that will include three veteran Jamaican competitors – Novlene Williams-Mills, Sherica Jackson and Stephanie Ann McPherson. Also entered are Americans Natasha Hastings and Courtney Okolo. Lydia Jele from Botswana rounds out the field.

#“It’s going to be another great field of ladies, so hopefully we can put on another great show for the public,” Miller-Uibo said.

#If she is successful, Miller-Uibo will become the first female athlete to have won the 200/400m double in the history of the IAAF’s year ending meet, which previously was the Golden League Final where athletes earned points and the top finisher, based on their points accumulated, carted off the overall title.

#Under the previous format, only one Bahamian ever won a Golden League Final title and that was Tonique Williams in the women’s 400m when she set the national record in the event (49.07) – a time she ran in Berlin on September 12, 2004.

#Last Friday, Miller-Uibo matched Williams’ feat when she won the 200m title in Zurich. She came off the final curve in fourth and powered from behind on the straight-away to pull off the win over Jamaican Olympic double sprint champion Elaine Thompson, World Championships double sprint silver medallist Marie-Josee Ta Lou from the Ivory Coast and 200m champion and 100m bronze medallist Dafne Schippers from the Netherlands.

#“The race was fine. I just give God all the thanks and praise for everything,” said Miller-Uibo, who got the bronze in London behind Schippers and Ta Lou.

#Miller-Uibo, who was trying to attempt the 200/400m double at the World Championships, said while she had her share of disappointment in the 400m, it was a little more hurtful to watch in Zurich as Steven Gardiner slipped and fell coming out of the blocks of the men’s 400m last Friday and was unable to complete the race.

#“What happened to Steven was most unfortunate. I actually thought they were going to call the race back, but things like this happen,” she said. “Fortunate enough, he is injury free and I think that is what’s most important. He had a tremendous season and I’m sure that one hiccup won’t bring him down.”

#Gardiner, the Abaco native who turns 22 on September 12, became the first Bahamian to crack the 44-second barrier when he ran 43.89 in the semi-finals at the World Championships to lower his national record.

OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALLIST Shaunae Miller will not be competing in the final IAAF Diamond League Meeting in Brussels, Belgium, on Friday.

f Wednesday, September 7, 2016

#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#A contractual breakdown between the management team of Rio Olympic women’s 400 metre champion Shaunae Miller and the meet promoters will keep the Bahamian rising star out of the AG Insurance Memorial Van Damme on Friday.

#Miller’s manager, Claude Bryan, confirmed to The Tribune on Tuesday that the national 200m record holder will skip the final IAAF Diamond League Meeting.

#“Kindly note. We were unable to come to terms with the Brussels Diamond League so unfortunately Shaunae Miller will not be competing in the Belgium capital,” Bryan confirmed with The Tribune.

#“Her season has effectively ended and she hopes for a healthy and successful 2017.”

#Bryan said it was fiscal in nature when pressed about the decision for Miller not to compete.

#Miller dropped to second place in the Diamond League standings in the one-lap race by just one point behind Jamaican Stephanie Ann McPherson, was not included on the entry list provided by the IAAF.

#Miller, 22, was scheduled to be one of two Bahamians competing in the meet. The other is high jumper Donald Thomas, who is confirmed on the list.

#In addition to McPherson, included on the list for the women’s 400m is Caster Semenya, of the Republic of South Africa, who last week clinched the women’s 800m Diamond League title in Zurich, Switzerland.

#Others include Jamaican Olympic 400m bronze medallist Shericka Jackson, Americans Natasha Hastings and Courtney Okolo, Italy’s Libania Grenot, France’s Floria Guel, Canada’s Carline Muir and Ukraine’s Olha Zemlyak.

#While McPherson holds a slim 31-30 point lead over Miller, Hastings is sitting in third place with 28. The next contender is Jamaican Novlene Williams-Mills with 17, but she too is not competing in Brussels.

#So Miller’s absence could bring the race down to a showdown between McPherson and Hastings for the overall title.

#Miller, winner of three of the races held in the series, was on target to become just the second Bahamian to win both the Olympic and Grand Prix title, following in the footsteps of national record holder Tonique Williams, who did it in 2004.

#The women’s 400m started in Shanghai, China on May 14, and continued in Eugene, Oregon on May 28, Oslo, Norway on June 9, Stockholm, Sweden on June 16, London, England on July 23 and Paris, France on August 27.

#The winner of the Diamond Race Trophy will earn USD $40,000. There is also an incentive of $10,000 for winning the race on Friday.

#Miller is coming off her stumbling dive across the finish line to clinch the gold over American Allyson Felix in the women’s 400m in Rio. She suffered the bruises as a result. On her return home for a celebration, she indicated that she was disappointed that she didn’t get to go for the double in the 200m where the heat was on the morning of the 400m final.

#In Rio, Miller was in the pool for the women’s 4 x 400m relay, but didn’t contest the preliminaries as the quartet of Lanece Clarke, Anthonique Strachan, Carmiesha Cox and Christine Amertil went on to lower the Bahamas national record in falling short of qualifying for the final.

#If she would have gone to Brussels this weekend, the women’s 400m would have been one of the most keenly anticipated showdowns. Plus, many would have liked to see how Miller would have matched up against Semenya, who could be adding the event to her 800m specialty next year at the IAAF World Championships in London, England.

#Instead, the men’s high jump, featuring Thomas, is now listed as one of the most thrilling events of all from a Diamond Race perspective.

#With only six points separating Bohdan Bondarenko in first from Robbie Grabarz in fourth, the competition is incredibly finely balanced. If any of Bondarenko, Grabarz, Mutaz Essa Barshim or Erik Kynard win in Brussels, they will be crowned Diamond Race champion.

#Barshim and Bondarenko are the Olympic silver and bronze medallists. Gold medallist Derek Drouin from Canada is not entered.

#Thomas, ninth in Rio, is not in the rankings for the title, but he could earn some extra change for his appearance on Friday, if he does compete. There’s no indication that he won’t be making the trip to Brussels. He too was unavailable for comments.

#Only Mutaz has jumped higher than Thomas this season at 2.40 metres or 7-feet, 10 1Ž2-inches. Thomas, with his personal best of 2.37m (7-9 1Ž4), has matched the SB of Bondarenko.

#However, Mutaz (2.43m/7-11 1/2), Bondarenko (2.42m/7-11 1Ž4)) and Ukraine’s Andriy Protsenko (2.40m/7-10 1/2) have PB higher than Thomas.

#The men’s high jump series included Doha, Qatar on May 6, Rabat, Morocco on May 22, Rome, Italy on June 2, Birmingham, England on June 5, Monte-Carlo, Monaco on July 15 and Lausanne, Switzerland on August 25.

#Last week, men’s national record holder Steven Gardiner completed the men’s 400m series in Zurich tied for fourth place with Nery Brenes of Croatia with 10 points. Gardiner placed fifth in Zurich in 45.66 as Merritt ran away with the race in 44.64.

#The other six meetings for their series were at the same as the men’s high jump in Doha, Rabat, Rome, Birmingham, Monte-Carlo and Lausanne.

#American LaShawn Merritt, the bronze medallist in Rio, won the title with 50 points. His nearest rival was Grenada’s Bralon Taplin with 24. Isaac Makwala of Botswana was third with 20.

#Republic of South Africa’s Wayde van Nirkerk, who set a world record in picking up the gold in Rio, along with silver medallist Kirani James from Grenada, didn’t compete.

#Gardiner, 20, didn’t advance out of the semi-final of the men’s 400m in Rio. But he ran the third leg on the men’s 4 x 400m relay team of Alonzo Russell, Michael Mathieu and Chris ‘Fireman’ Brown that picked up the bronze behind the United States and Jamaica respectively.

#Stephen Newbold ran in the preliminaries instead of Mathieu, while Demetrius Pinder was an alternate.

Donald Thomas competes in the men’s high jump qualification at the World Athletics Championships at the Bird’s Nest stadium in Beijing. (AP)

Friday, September 4, 2015

#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@trbunemedia.net

#It wasn’t the type of performance that neither high jumper Donald Thomas nor quarter-miler Steven Gardiner expected in their performances coming off the 15th IAAF World Championships.

#Both Thomas and Gardiner were the only two Bahamians invited to participate in the Weltklasse Zurich Diamond League Meet yesterday. The meet was the first to be held since the completion of the nine-day IAAF Championships last week in Beijing, China.

#Competing in his specialty in the men’s high jump, Thomas cleared just 2.19 metres or 7-feet, 2 1/4-inches to finish in a two-way tie for seventh place with American JaCorian Duffield. Taking the victory was Mutz Essa Barshim of Qatar with 2.32m (7-7 1/4) as he avenged his missed opportunity to get on the podium in Beijing.

#Ukraine’s Bohdan Bondarenko got second with 2.30m (7-6 1/2) and China’s Guowei Zhang took third with the same height. World champion Derek Drouin finished at the bottom of the pile at 2.19m (7-2 1/4).

#At the World Championships, Droiun clinched the gold in a three-way jump off with 2.34m (7-8). Zhang and Bondarenko were tied for the silver with 2.33m (7-7 3/4). Thomas, one of two Bahamians in the final (joined by Trevor Barry), was sixth with 2.29m (7-6).

#In a field that resembled the final of the men’s 400m as well, Gardiner could run no faster than 45.90 seconds that placed him eighth overall. Winning the race was LaShawn Merritt, the American silver medallist, in 44.18. Kirani James, the silver medallist from Grenada, got second in 44.28.

#They both avenged their loss to Wayde van Niekerk from the Republic of South Africa, who was third in 44.35. Luguelin Santos had to settle for fourth in a national record of 44.11 for the Dominican Republic.

#If you remember, van Niekerk turned in a world-leading time of 43.48 to pull off the gold at the Bird’s Nest in Beijing and had to be taken to the hospital for treatment after the race. Merritt turned in a personal best of 43.65 for the silver and James held onto the bronze in a seaon’s best of 43.78.

#In the same position, Santos got fourth in Zurich in 45.03.

#The Zurich meet was one of the 14 meets on the IAAF Diamond League where athletes compete for points to be a part of the final rankings. Winners of each Diamond Race will get a Diamond Trophy, a cash prize, a wild card for the IAAF World Championships (certain conditions apply) but more importantly, will have shown season long consistency to earn the unchallenged honour of being the World No. 1.

#While Thomas sits in seventh place in the high jump standings with two points, Gardiner is not listed in the men’s 400m.

#The last meet in the Diamond League series is set for Brussels on Friday, September 11.