The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

WHILE the Bahamas Olympic Committee has yet to name the team that will represent the Bahamas at the 2016 Olympic Games, quarter-miler Shaunae Miller has indicated that she doesn’t plan on going for the double in the women’s 200 and 400 metres.

At the Track Town Classic in Edmonton, Canada on Friday night where she won the women’s 200 metres, Miller told Track Alerts in an interview that her focus is primarily on the 400m when the games are held August 5-21 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Miller, 22 and now engaged, won the race on Friday in 22.38 seconds to erase the meet and Foote Field records of 22.41 that was set by American Shalonda Solomon back in 2013.

“My training has been going extremely well. I’m just excited to see what’s going to happen,” she said. “I’m glad to know that the competition is back up there and a lot of the top women will be competing, so I’m just looking forward to the competition.”

With arch-rival Allyson Felix out of contention for the double after she finished fourth at the US Trials recently, leaving her with just the 400m to compete in, many are of the opinion that Miller will have a legitimate chance of going for a medal in both events.

And considering the fact that she has produced the third fastest time so far this year of 22.05 in the half-lap race and the second fastest of 49.69 in the one-lap race, it gives more argument in her ability to accomplish the feat in Rio.

“We’re thinking about it, but I think my coach is leaning more towards the 400m this year,” said Miller, who has always maintained that she will leave the final decision to be made by the people who have prepared her for the journey to her second appearance at the biggest global event on the planet.

“Although she considers the 200m to be her “baby,” having gotten started running the event, Miller said she’s now fallen in “love” with the 400m even more, having made her international breakthrough at the back-to-back IAAF World Junior Championship in Moncton, Canada in 2010 and the IAAF World Youth Championships in Lille, France in 2011.

“Once I accomplished some of my goals in the 400m, I may look more towards the 200m.”

After not completing her 400m heats at her debut in London, England in 2012, having to stop coming off the first curve when she suffered a slight hamstring pull, Miller seems to be leaning more towards getting her first Olympic medal in Rio in the 400m to go along with her silver from last year’s IAAF World Championships in Beijing, China.

And with Felix, last year’s champion in Beijing, nursing a slight ankle injury, Miller seems to have her sights set on getting on the dais for another medal before she tackles the 200/400m double at her next World Championships in London, England in 2017 or Olympics in 2020 in Tokyo, Japan.

Just for the record, the 6-foot-1 Miller has also qualified for the 100m, having produced a time of 11.19 and she showed some versatility in running an 800m as well, which she used as a warm-up to prepare for this season.