Home|Sports|Bahamian athletes getting settled in BudapestSports
Sheldon LongleySend an emailAugust 16, 2023 31 3 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email
Team Bahamas is beginning to settle in at the athletes village in Budapest, Hungary, preparing for competition in the 19th edition of the World Athletics Outdoor Championships, set to get underway this Saturday.
More than 2,000 athletes from more than 200 countries are set to compete in the 35,000-seat National Athletics Centre in the Hungarian capital starting this weekend. About half of The Bahamas’ 11-member team is already in Budapest with the remainder scheduled to arrive today. The meet will run through August 27.
Anthonique Strachan has been there for a couple days already, and said she is looking forward to competition. She will run in the heats of the women’s 100 meters (m) on Sunday afternoon in Budapest.
“I feel okay. I’m not really treating this any differently than a normal meet, not as yet. I set several goals and one big one. So, even when I was not motivated I still had something to work toward so I’m guessing that aided in a better season,” she said.
Strachan had arguably the best season of her life, running personal best times in both the 100 and 200m this year. She clocked 10.92 seconds in the 100m and 22.15 seconds in the 200m, becoming the fourth-fastest Bahamian of all-time in the women’s 100m and the second-fastest in the women’s 200m. Strachan passed Shaunae Miller-Uibo, Pauline Davis-Thompson and Eldece Clarke in the 100m this year, and Savatheda Fynes, Davis-Thompson and Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie in the women’s 200m.
She travelled to Budapest with a team of athletes from her training base at the Maximising Velocity and Power (MVP) Camp in Kingston, Jamaica, and has now settled into the athletes village where she will begin final preparation for competition this weekend. Strachan said they are training twice per day in Budapest.
“I just have to continue doing what I’m doing – worrying and working on myself. This season is me being selfish,” she said. “I don’t live in the future. I work hard to stay in the present so I can enjoy life and the work I’m doing.”
Strachan said she is looking forward to the 200m more as that is her better event. The opening round heats of the 200m will be held on Wednesday afternoon in Budapest – two days after the completion of the 100m. Strachan will be fortunate enough to have personal coach Shawn Terry trackside in Budapest, and she said that’s a great help.
“It’s very important. I’m a creature of habit and I prefer not to change things, especially my inner circle which is my personal coaches and training mates – that’s who my comfort is with,” said Strachan.
Other than her events, Strachan said she’s taking particular interest in the 400s in both genders and the men’s long jump. She said she also has interest in any event that Faith Kipyegon, of Kenya, is competing in, given the tear that she has been on in recent times. Kipyegon broke three world records this summer and is entered in the women’s 1,500m and 5,000m in Budapest. She is the world record holder in both.
The men and women’s 400m will be led by a pair of Bahamians – World and Olympic Champion Miller-Uibo for the women despite giving birth to a son just four months ago, and Olympic and former world champion Steven Gardiner who goes into that event as the world leader.
Terrence Jones will be the first Bahamian in action, set to compete in the heats of the men’s 100m on Saturday evening in Budapest. He has clocked a national record tying 9.91 seconds this year, becoming just the second Bahamian to ever run sub-10 seconds in the men’s 100m.
Jones will be joined by Gardiner, Alonzo Russell, Miller-Uibo, Strachan and Shakeem Smith on the track on Sunday. Gardiner and Russell will run in the heats of the men’s 400m, Miller-Uibo in the heats of the women’s 400m, Strachan will experience action in the heats of the women’s 100m and newcomer to this level of athletics Smith will run in the opening round heats of the men’s 400m hurdles.
In the field events, former World Champion Donald Thomas will compete in the qualifying rounds of the men’s high jump on Sunday. The other members of Team Bahamas are Devynne Charlton (women’s 100m hurdles), Charisma Taylor (women’s triple jump), Rhema Otabor (women’s javelin) and LaQuan Nairn (men’s long jump).
There is no head coach named, but Leevan Sands will be the jumps coach and Corrington Maycock will coach Otabor in the women’s javelin. A number of personal coaches will be in Budapest as well including Shaun Miller for Miller-Uibo, Rolando ‘Lonnie’ Greene for Charlton and Terry for Strachan.
The team leader is Laketah Charlton, Tito Moss is the assistant team leader, Dr. Keir Miller is the team doctor and Pharez Cooper will serve as the team’s physiotherapist.
The world athletics championships is the biggest meet in the world for athletics. The 2023 edition will represent the first time that athletics’ top event will be held in Hungary.
Led by Miller-Uibo and Gardiner, The Bahamas will compete in the sprints, hurdles, jumps, and throws.