Bahamas News

Chris Brown bolted to his second fastest career time in the 400 metres on Tuesday at the 12th International Association of Athletics Federations World Championships in Osaka, Japan.

In the first heat of the 400 metres, Brown easily outpaced the field to clock 44.50, a tad better than his 44.48 PB. The Bahamian record is 44.45, done by Avard Moncur, the 2001 world champion for the event.

Brown emphasized his status as one of the favourites for a medal. Two other runners in the heat went under 45 seconds. Australia´s John Steffensen ran 44.82 and Arismendy Peguero of the Dominican Republic finished in 44.92.

Moncur (45.27) was in the day’s second heat and he placed second to American Jeremy Wariner (45.10). Ireland’s David Gillick was third in 45.35. Wariner the defending Olympic and World champion, is the out and out favourite to win his second consecutive championship.

The other Bahamian in the heats, Andrae Williams finished third in the fourth heat as he joined Brown and Moncur into the next round. The three are on Team Bahamas’ highly-respected 1600 relay team. Also on the team are Nathaniel McKinney, Michael Mathieu and Ramon Miller. The national relay squad is in Osaka just on the heels of winning the Pan American Games gold medal last month in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

At the 2005 World Championships, held in Helsinki, Finland, Brown and company ran a close second to the powerful American team with Wariner on the anchor leg.

That same match-up is highly anticipated again.

The Bahamas had one other competitor on the track Tuesday.

Jacobi Mitchell ran 20.81 to make it into the second round but an eighth place 21.17 in the second round heat, eliminated him.

American Tyson Gay who defeated Bahamian Derrick Atkins for the gold in the 100 metres, is the favourite for the half lap title. On Tuesday, he still appeared to be in an incredible zone. In the third heat of the 200 metres quarter-final, Gay clocked 20.08. His stiffest competition is expected to come from Jamaican Usain Bolt and fellow American Wallace Spearman.

The latter two hooked up in heat two of the quarters. Bolt won in 20.13 with Spearman following in 20.26.

Day five of the competition will see the quarter milers, Donald Thomas and Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie back in action while Sharmar Sands and Laverne Eve are to get their first taste of action. Thomas will compete in the high jump final. Ferguson-McKenzie will compete in the 200 metres heats and Sands in the 110 high hurdles heats. Eve, at 42 will likely be competing in the World Championships for the last time.

The Bahamas goes into today with the lone silver medal won by Atkins.

Source: Bahama Journal