The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

AFTER sitting a year to recuperate from an injury, Life University junior Bria Sands soared back into form with an All-American runner-up position in the women’s triple jump at the NAIA National Indoor Championships.

The 21-year-old sister of Olympic bronze medallist Leevan ‘Superman’ Sands cleared 12.09 metres or 39-feet, 8-inches over the weekend for her second place finish, adding another hardware to her 2017 national championship title.

At the meet in Brookings, South Dakota, versatile Sands also competed in the long jump, but she fouled all of her jumps. She didn’t contest the high jump, which she has added to her repertoire.

But Bahamian Nyles Stuart, the head coach at Life University, said he was very impressed with her performance.

“I’m very, very excited and pleased and happy for her,” said Stuart, a former Bahamian national team long and triple jumper. “To be back in competition after missing a year is just fantastic. She got back on the podium. It wasn’t first place, but it was just as special.”

With Sands back in action, Stuart said she challenged his coaching abilities in the competition when she lost her groove and she had to settle down and he reassured her that she was one of the best jumpers on the field.

This is the fourth year that Stuart has been working with Sands. He said she has made tremendous progress, but her results don’t define who she is and what she is capable of achieving.

“She’s starting to move into an elite level, so I think it’s just a matter of time before she has a major breakthrough,” Stuart said.

“We are now preparing for outdoors.

“She suffered a little bit of injury last year, so went right back into training and so she didn’t really get into her technical form for indoors, so it’s perfect timing as we get into the outdoors. She should start to get in more technical training and turn in more of the bigger jumps.”

This weekend in Alabama, Sands will be back in action and Stuart believes the performance at the NAIA Nationals will propel her in her outdoor campaign.

Stuart is also working with Grand Bahamian freshman Arianna Mathieu, a high hurdler and the niece of Olympic quarter-miler Michael Mathieu. She won’t start competing in the 100m hurdles for another few weeks.