The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

IN 2004, Tonique Williams-Darling achieved the lofty goals of an Olympic title and the IAAF Golden League Jackpot in the 400m.

Twelve years later, Shaunae Miller has an opportunity to follow suit and claim both coveted titles, Olympic champion and Diamond League winner, in the same season.

Miller currently leads the Diamond Race Standings for the women’s 400m with a total of 30 points.

The Olympic champion and world leader has recorded three first place finishes in each of her appearances on the circuit this season.

She opened with a 50.45 seconds win in Shanghai, China, followed by 50.15 at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Oregon, both in May. She posted a then world-leading time of 49.55 in July at the “London Anniversary Games.”

The women’s 400m is featured in seven of the 14 Diamond League Meetings this season with Paris (August 27) and Brussels (September 9), the only meets outstanding on the calendar.

Miller did not appear in the other races on the circuit, won by Jamaicans Stephanie Ann-McPherson (Oslo) and Novlene Willams-Mills (Stockholm).

McPherson is ranked second in the standings with 25 points followed by American Natasha Hastings with 18, and Williams-Mills with 17.

Miller comes off the feat which made her one of the most talked about stories in track and field this year when she stumbled across the finish line to claim the Olympic title and hold off a late surge by American Allyson Felix in a personal best time of 49.44 secs.

It was a complete turn around for the 22-year-old Miller, who four years ago in London, England, was unable to finish her preliminary heat of the 400m in her Olympic debut when she suffered a slight hamstring pull coming off the first curve and had to stop.

Monday, she exhumed that ghost by becoming only the second Bahamian to win a 400m gold, following national record holder Williams-Darling, who achieved the historic feat in 2004 in Athens, Greece.

In 2004, Williams-Darling breakout year included an undefeated streak of six Diamond League races, highlighted by her national record setting run of 49.07 secs in September’s finale in Berlin.

Her season also included bronze at the IAAF World Championship

She would eventually share the $1 million jackpot with triple jumper Christian Olsson of Sweden.

The Diamond League includes 32 individual event disciplines in a points scoring system called the “Diamond Race.”

According to the IAAF, winners of each Diamond Race will get a Diamond Trophy, $40,000 prize money and a wild card for the IAAF World Championships.

Each of the disciplines is staged seven times with the top six Athletes being awarded the same amount of points at each meeting with the exception of the Final where the points are doubled.

The Athlete with the highest number of points in each discipline at the end of the IAAF Diamond League season wins “The Diamond Race”. In case of equality on points, the number of victories decides, if there still is a tie, the better result at the Final decides.

The Diamond Race winners of each discipline are awarded with a prize money of $40,000 at the end of the season.

The Diamond League was designed to replace the Golden League, which was held annually since 1998.

While the Golden League was formed to increase the profile of the leading European athletics competitions, the Diamond League’s aim is to “enhance the worldwide appeal of athletics by going outside Europe for the first time.