Home|Sports|National record for CharltonSports
Sheldon LongleySend an emailAugust 23, 2023 104 2 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email
BUDAPEST, Hungary – The Bahamas has its own version of ‘pocket rocket’ and she was fantastic in making another global final – her third – at the 19th World Athletics Championships at the National Athletics Stadium in Budapest, Hungary, on Tuesday.
Devynne Charlton ran arguably the best race of her life, in the opening round heats of the women’s 100 meters (m) hurdles, and glided into the semifinals of that event at the Budapest World Championships.
She clocked a stunning national record time of 12.44 seconds, finishing second in her heat to former world record holder Kendra Harrison of the United States, and going into today’s semifinals with the second-fastest time. Harrison ran a blazing world-leading time of 12.24 seconds, matching the second-fastest time in her career.
As for the Bahamian, in the prime of her career at age 27, she said this is the kind of performance she expected all season. Prior to her race on Tuesday, her season’s best time was 12.62 seconds, done at the Ed Murphey Classic, in Memphis, Tennessee, about three weeks ago.
Charlton got out to her usual blazing start and maintained her form when Harrison caught up with her. She ran her race, was fast, efficient and technical over the 10 barriers, and powered through for the impressive national record time.
“I thought from the crack of the gun that my race was on. I have to go back and look at the film and get nit-picky because that is what it’s going to take to run faster in the next rounds but I believe I have it in me,” said Charlton afterwards. “I felt like that’s the kind of times I should have been putting down all year – I knew it was in me. I’m just glad that it appears to be coming together at the right time. The goal is to build on that because it’s going to take something better than that to go to the final and possibly win a medal. I would definitely have to shave some tenths off but I think it’s possible.”
Charlton held off former world champion Danielle Williams, of Jamaica, who settled for third in that heat in a season’s best time of 12.51 seconds. The Bahamian has consistently come through for her country at major meets – now into the third global final in her career after finishing sixth in the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2021 and seventh at the Eugene World Championships in 2022.
Charlton will run out of lane six in the first of three semifinal heats at 8:45 p.m. this evening in Budapest, 2:45 p.m. back in The Bahamas. Just the top two finishers and the next two fastest times will advance to Thursday’s final.
This might very well be the time that Charlton ascend to the medal dais, but she knows she has to get through a very tough semifinal race first and then give it her all in the final if it comes to that.
The Bahamian star hurdler said she’s appreciative of all the support she gets and is looking forward to what she hopes will be an even better race in the semifinals.
“I got a lot of love and I appreciate everyone who tuned in. I’m just asking for you to send your prayers up and stick with me for these next two rounds,” she said.
The semifinals are set for today and the final will be on Thursday.
More than 2,000 athletes from more than 200 countries are competing in the 35,000-seat National Athletics Centre at the Budapest World Championships. The nine-day meet will conclude on Sunday.