The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

The Bahamas will be represented by a three-member team featuring hurdler Devynne Charlton and quarter-milers Shaunae Miller-Uibo and Megan Moss at World Athletics’ Indoor Championships Belgrade 2022.

The championships are set for March 18-20 at the Serbian capital’s Stark Arena in Belgrade, Serbia.

Bahamas Association of Amateur Athletic Association president Drumeco Archer confirmed that both Charlton and Moss are scheduled to travel with their University of Kentucky head coach Bahamian Rolando “Lonnie” Greene, while Miller-Uibo will be accompanied by her personal coach, American Lance Brauman - the founder and CEO of Pure Athletics Track Club.

Laura Charlton is expected to serve as the team manager. “We have a small team, but a concentrated team I would say,” said Archer. “We have Shaunae, who is obviously the most formidable 400m runner and we have Devynne, who has dominated the indoor track season this year.

“Devynne has performed the highest indoors this year and she is world ranked, so I expect that she will medal this year.

“Of course, we are expecting Shaunae to win the women’s 400m.

“We’re also pleased that Megan is going to the World Indoor Championships. It’s very rare that university athletes qualify and are given the opportunity to compete at the meet, so I think that raises the bar for her.”

It’s estimated that at least 900 athletes from 137 countries will be participating in the World Athletics Indoor Championships Belgrade 2022, four years since the last edition of the championship took place in Birmingham, United Kingdom in 2018. COVID-19 forced the postponement of the 2020 championships in Nanjing, China.

Miller-Uibo, coming off her repeat Olympic Games’ 400m championship crown in Tokyo, Japan in 2021, won a bronze medal in the women’s 400m when she made her World Indoor Championship debut in Sopot, Poland.

That was the same year that Chris ‘Fireman’ Brown picked up a silver in the men’s 400m. They were the only two members on the team.

In 2018 at the World Indoor Championships in Birmingham, United Kingdom, Charlton was the only one of the five-member team that made a final when she placed eighth overall in the women’s 60m hurdles. She’s coming off her sixth place finish in the 100m hurdles at the Tokyo Olympics.

This will be the debut for Moss, who last year ran on the women’s 4 x 400m relay team at the Olympics. However, the Bahamas didn’t finish the race as Anthonique Strachan suffered an injury on the anchor leg. The other two members of the team were collegians Doneisha Anderson and Brianne Bethel.

At the World Athletics Indoor Championships Belgrade 2022, the women’s 400m heats will take place during the morning session of day one on March 18 with the semi-final in the evening. The final will be contested on the evening of day two on March 19.

Also on day two, Charlton will contest the heats of the women’s 60m hurdles in the morning with both the semi-final and final in the evening.