The Tribune

From BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

in Beijing, China

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

IN HER defining performance on the senior global stage, Shaunae Miller had to battle back to secure the silver medal for the Bahamas in the women's 400 metres final on Thursday at the 15th IAAF World Championships.

Unlike her previous two rounds, where she was the hunted as she surged ahead and checked the rest of her competitors, Miller had to try and catch the surging American Allyson Felix as she powered from start to finish for the victory.

Felix took the gold in the world's fastest time this year of 49.26 seconds to earn $60,000, while Miller posted her personal best of 49.67 for the silver and $30,000. Jamaica's Shericka Jackson claimed the bronze in her personal best of 49.99 for $20,000.

For Miller, whose parents Shaun and Maybelene, were in the stands cheering her on, the performance was so sweet that she couldn't stop smiling

"I feel so blessed and shocked," Miller told The Tribune. "I got injured at the meeting in Monaco and up to last week, I was not able to train properly. I felt pain in the back of my hip. To gain silver in such a tough race, it is just unbelievable to me. And the personal best is the icing on the cake. There was high class company out there and all the girls did amazing jobs."

The race was so fast that even Jamaica's national champion, Christine Day, set her personal best of 50.14 for fourth place. She got $15,000 for her effort.

It was the Bahamas second medal of the championships, adding to the bronze won by Jeffery Gibson in the 400m hurdles. That pushed the Bahamas into a two-way tie for 16th place in the medals table with the Netherlands. Kenya, surprisingly, is still leading the pack with six gold in their 11 medals, but the United States have one more in total,including three gold.

And in the placings chart, the Bahamas are tied with Finland and Hungary with 13 points. The US have a comfortable lead with 141, ahead of Kenya with 108.

While the focus of the day for Team Bahamas was on the showdown between Miller and Felix, Leevan 'Superman' Sands gave it all he had in the final of the men's triple jump.

He came up with a best leap of 16.68 metres (54ft, 8 3/4in) on his first attempt to take tenth spot, not enough to make the final eight, who went after the three medals. American Christian Taylor, with the world leading mark of 18.21m (59ft 9in), the second best in history, took the gold. Cuba's Pedro Pichardo got the silver with 17.73m (58ft 2in) and the bronze went to Nelson Evora, of Portugal, with a season's best of 17.52m (57ft 5 3/4in).

Left to compete for the Bahamas now are Donald Thomas, Ryan Ingraham and Trevor Barry, who will round off Team Bahamas' individual performances in the preliminaries of the men's high jump on Friday.

The final is set for Sunday, when the final of the 4 x 400m relays for men and women will be held. The heats are set for Saturday. The Bahamas will also be running in the men's 4 x 100m with the semifinal and final on Saturday.

See The Tribune tomorrow for more reports and photographs