The Tribune

MEET THE MEDAL WINNER HERE

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

JEFFERY Gibson knew that he was in a position to win a medal in the men’s 400 metres hurdles in Glasgow – he just didn’t know which one. What he didn’t forecast was the fact that it took a new national record to accomplish another historic feat for the Bahamas at the 20th Commonwealth Games.

Yesterday, at the Hampden Park National Stadium, Gibson clocked 48.78 seconds to take the bronze medal, lowering his own Bahamian record of 48.95 seconds that he set on April 4 at the Florida Relays.

More importantly, it marked the second time that the Bahamian flag was raised during a medal presentation as Gibson, 23, joined Arianna Vanderpool-Wallace, who set the stage on day four with her historic silver medal in the women’s 50 metres butterfly at the Tollcross Swimming Centre.

By the end of day nine, Vanderpool-Wallace’s silver and Gibson’s bronze meant the Bahamas was tied for 23rd place with Nigeria in the medals table that is being led by England with 123.

“I was expecting to get a medal, but I was a little nervous about what position I would get because of the competition out there,” said Gibson, who also became the second Bahamian to win a Commonwealth Games medal in the event, after Greg Rolle also won the bronze in 1982 in Brisbane, Australia .

The race was held with a drizzle of rain falling, but Gibson said he practised in that type of weather and it really didn’t have any affect on him. 

“I felt the cold more than anything, but as long as it wasn’t lightning, I knew I would have ran well,” he insisted. “So I wasn’t concerned about it.”

Cornel Fredericks, of the Republic of South Africa, took gold in 48.50 seconds while 2013 IAAF World Championship gold medallist Jehue Gordon, of Trinidad and Tobago, had to settle for the silver in a season’s best of 48.75 seconds.

Gordon admitted that he had to used his experience to power through the line as he heard the footsteps of Gibson behind him. “I heard somebody, but I didn’t know who it was at first,” Gordon said. “But he came through with the Commonwealth bronze medal. But I came second so I’m very thankful for the medal.”

After falling off the pace over the first half of the race, when they were clearing the seventh of the 10 rows of hurdles, Jamaica’s Annert Whyte tripped and fell over the bar.

“He was right on the side of me, so I knew he fell. I just wanted to make sure that he didn’t fall in my lane,” Gibson said. “It sucks. It happens. I went through it before, so I understand it happens. But there was no doubt that I was going to catch the field.”

Using his 6ft 3in frame, Gibson avoided stepping over Whyte and with three sets of hurdles left, he powered down the home stretch with enough track to spare to get the medal.

“It was a good race and I’m not too tired, so this is just a sign that I can do more, so I’m willing to work harder so that I can continue to drop my times and run even faster,” he said.

“I had a lot of encouragement from a lot of people at home and around me, so I tried to take a little piece of what they saw when I broke the national record. I was told that if I can go through with the same steps that I did then, I could be successful here.”

Gibson said he is looking forward to running throughout August before he decides to shut down his season on September 1. “I’m not sure where I will be going, but based on that time, I’m sure that I won’t have any problems getting in any meets,” he said. “My hard work is finally paying off.”

With his job done, Gibson said he was looking forward to getting an ice bath and sit down for a little reminisce on his success and sleep a little later than usual as he tries to let it soak in that he is a Commonwealth bronze medallist.

“I want to thank my family in Eleuthera, Nassau, Grand Bahama and in the United States,” he said, “my coaches, George Williams and Sandy Chapman from the States and Frederick Bastian from the Kenyan Knights in Grand Bahama for putting in the time with me for so long.”