The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

Add the men’s 300 metres indoor world record to Steven Gardiner’s list of accolades.

As he lowered his Bahamian national record of 32.06 seconds he clocked on January 14 in Birmingham, Alabama, Gardiner shattered American Noah Lyles’ previous world-best mark from 31.87 in 2017 when he ran an impressive 31.56 at the South Carolina Invite in Columbia, South Carolina, on Friday.

Nathan Allen, competing for Puma, was a distant second in 32.54.

The feat by Gardiner, the 26-year-old Murphy Town, Abaco native, led a list of elite and collegiate athletes as they represented their various track clubs and collegiate teams in action around the United States over the weekend.

“I feel amazing for it. We were training really hard in the fall and now I have the confidence in what I could do, seeing that this is just January and it’s been an amazing time for me,” Gardiner said.

“I’m in the best shape of my life. This has been the best offseason that I’ve had this past fall and so I’m just looking forward to this season.”

Like he has done all of his career, Gardiner will skip the World Indoor Championships. He said his enormous height of 6-feet, 3-inches poses problems for him running the tight bends indoors where the track covers one lap over 200m.

So while he will not run in the World Indoors Championship March 18-20 in Belgrade, Serbia, Gardiner will now prepare himself for the World Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Oregon, August 6-15. He will be going after his second consecutive gold medal, having won the title in 2019 in Doha, Qatar following an upgrade from his silver in London, England, in 2017. He also won the gold medal at the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympics in August.

“I will just continue to work hard and get ready for the World Outdoors,” Gardiner said. “World Indoors is not the big picture for me. The big picture for me is the World Outdoors and so I don’t want to run in the World Indoors and risk any injury.

“I know once I put my race together, it’s going to be a crazy outdoor championship. I just want to go out there and have some fun and not put any pressure on myself. I just want to cross the line as the champion.”

Without any schedule yet set for the outdoor season, Gardiner thanked the Bahamian people for supporting him. Although his time was a shocker, Gardiner said he knew he could do it, based on the training he got from coach Gary Evans.

“Records don’t last forever, so I will cherish this,” said Gardiner, who spent some considerable time reviewing the tape as he reflected on his performance. “Everybody was excited for me, including my coach, so I’m really pleased with what I did.”

Kinard Rolle, competing unattached, was also 10th overall in the event in 34.49. Janeko Cartwright, representing the Phoenix Track Club, was also entered, but he opted to contest the 200m where he placed 14th in 23.89.

Gregory Seymour, competing unattached, was 13th in the men’s 400m invite in 49.24. William Spencer, a junior at South Carolina, won the event in 47.24.

Charlton second at Milrose

At the 114th Millrose Games in New York City, Devynne Charlton surged to second place in the women’s 60m hurdles in a season’s best time of 7.95. Jamaica’s Britany Anderson took the tape in a personal best of 7.91.

“I’m pretty pleased with the race overall and my progression so far this season. I’ve bettered my season’s best for three consecutive weeks now,” said Charlton, a graduate assistant at the University of Kentucky, whose previous SB was 7.99 two weeks ago.

“That speaks a lot to my fitness and my ability to learn from previous mistakes and continuously build on it week to week. The 7.95 is tied for my second fastest ever and fastest I’ve ever run this early so I think once I start to taper off towards the indoors world in March, I’ll be in a great spot.”

Americans Tonea Marshall and former world record holder Keni Harrison were third and fourth respectively in 7.99 and 8.00.

“It’s always a pleasure when I get to line up with such a stacked field of women,” said Charlton of the competition. “My best races come when I’m challenged and this is what a round at the world indoor championships could look like so it’s great practice for that level.”

The 26-year-old Charlton, coming off her final appearance in August at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, will now take the week off before she returns to competition at the American Track league meet in Louisville, Kentucky.

Miller Jr victorious

at Rod McCravy

At the University of Kentucky’s Rod McCravy Track and Field Invitational at the Nutter Fieldhouse in Lexington, Kentucky, Ohio States’ sophomore Shaun Miller Jr soared 7-feet and 1/2- inch or 2.15m to snatch the victory in the men’s high jump.

And Tamar Greene, in his senior debut for Purdue University in the men’s triple jump, cleared 52-04 (16.-06m) for third place. Clarence Foote-Talley, a sophomore at Ohio State, won with 52-09 (16.38m) and Kentucky’s freshman Luke Brown was second with 52-08 1/4 (16.06m).

A number of Bahamians also competed at the meet, including Kentucky’s sophomore Megan Moss, who crossed the finish line in the women’s 400m in 52.69 behind Alexis Holmes, her junior team-mate, who won in 52.07.

Moss also led off Kentucky women’s 4 x 400m relay team, composed of Karimah Davis, Masai Russell and Alexis Holmes, who won in 3:34.65. Kentucky entered another team, featuring Bahamians Jaida Knowles on lead off and Anthaya Charlton on anchor. Along with Darci Khan and Dynasty McClennon, they were 14th in 4:02.68.