The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senor Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

Devynne Charlton got the start she expected and the finish anticipated in what she called the “perfect race” as she powered to a world indoor record in the women’s 60 metres hurdles yesterday at the Millrose Games.

Competing against a stacked field that she could face next month at the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow, Scotland, Charlton led from start to finish, running a sizzling time of 7.67 seconds at the World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold meeting in New York.

Charlton erased the previous world indoor record of 7.68 that was set by Susanna Kallur exactly 26 years and one day, dating back to 2008 in Karlsruhe, Germany in 2008 as she also shattered her own Bahamian national record of 7.75. “I really can’t even say. All I was thinking about was executing the start,” Charlton told the media in an interview after the event. “I did that. I knew I crossed the line first. I was anticipating the time. I thought I heard them say ‘world record.’ I couldn’t hear it. But everybody sounded so excited, everybody started to embrace me and was jumping up and down. I thought I must have done something special. But it didn’t hit me until they brought me around to the clock and I saw my name and the world record and I saw the time. That’s when it hit me. But I couldn’t describe the race if I tried.”

With her parents Laura and Dave Charlton in the stands cheering for their 28-year-old daughter, Charlton beat Jamaican Danielle Williams to the first of five flights of hurdles.

As she accelerated through the race, Charlton had surged ahead and maintained the lead as Williams trailed her through the finish line in second in 7.78, while American Tia Jones had to settle for third in a photo finish.

Another Jamaican Ackera Nugent was fourth in a season’s best of 7.80. Fifth went to Great Britain’s Cindy Sember in 7.91 with American Nia Ali sixth in 7.95.

Jamaican Megan Tapper was seventh in a personal best of 7.98 and Americans Sharika Nelvis and Alessa Samuel rounded out the field in eighth and ninth in 8.05 and a personal best of 8.26 respectively.

After she was the last woman sitting outside of the medal chart at the World Outdoor Championships last August, Charlton admitted that everything is geared to getting her on the podium at the World Indoors March 1-3 in Glasgow.

“One of the first things I said to my coach was that now I want to break the world record indoors and at that moment we put a plan in place,” Charlton said. “It’s been a goal of mine for a while and we looked at everything indoor and outdoor last year and focused on my weak points and built on that in practice.

“I knew it was in me. I knew the type of numbers I was putting up in practice like I had this type of race in me. It was all about executing it.”

While he was unable to attend the meet, due to his collegiate responsibilities as the head coach of the University of Kentucky, Bahamian Rolando ‘Lonnie’ Greene said Charlton’s performance was exactly what they were working on.

“I just told her ‘baby girl,’ just be you,” Greene said. “I told her father after Texas in January that I don’t know when it’s going to show up, but it will show up. She’s going to break the world record.

“I’ve seen the race about 100 times, but I think she can go faster. I think she can go 7.65 or better and I think it will show up in Glasgow. I believe that with all my heart.

“The things she’s been doing in practice this year is just unbelievable. All I can say is wow. I try to shut her down in practice, but she’s like ‘coach, I can go further. So what she did didn’t surprise me. I knew it was going to come.”

Greene, who formerly coached Charlton in college at Purdue University, thanked God for allowing him to experience the journey that she is on. He said he will definitely be in Glasgow as she attempts to go after the gold medal and possibly another world record.

Charlton was coming off a 2024 campaign opener in Louisville with a victory in 7.88 and a national record of 7.75 a week later before she lost out to Jones last week in Boston..

“I think early on, we were just trying to see where we’re at, see how practice was going, get an idea of what’s going on,” she said. “I think after my second meet and I ran 7.75, I went to my coach and said it was a sloppy race.

“And so I knew that once we went back and started working on it, this race would show up. It could have been there in Boston. I didn’t get it, so once I went back, the focus was on executing that perfect race.”

There wasn’t anything different that Charlton did before the race, but she said she was just locked in and with her parents making their third time to Millrose Games to watch her compete, she didn’t want to disappoint them.

“I was just happy that they were here,” said Charlton, who almost came to tears as she expressed her gratitude to having them present as they have done in so many of her major international competitions.

“I wanted to make them proud,” she stated. “To have them here was special.”

After she lowered the national record to 7.75, Charlton said her parents were in tears as they spoke to her, but she advised them not to get too excited because something very special was coming.

She pointed out that they can now “cry” having inked her name on the world record.

In the process, Charlton joined Shaunae Miller-Uibo, who currently holds the world record in the women’s indoors 200m of 22.40 that she established on January 31, 2021 in Fayetteville, Arkansas as well as the world’s best in both the outdoor straight 150 (16.23) on May 20, 2018 and 200m (21.76) on June 4, 2017.

But coming from such a small country, Charlton said it’s remarkable the achievements Bahamian athletes are making, not just in track and field, but in so many other sports, including the National Basketball Association and the Women’s National Basketball Association.

“We’re proving that we’re one of the best sporting countries in the world,” she pointed out.

“I think it’s very special, considering our size,” added Charlton.

Charlton’s performance got the attention of Prime Minister Philip Davis, who made this statement on behalf of the 300,000-plus Bahamian people.

“Devynne Charlton has redefined excellence, setting a new world indoor 60m hurdles record at 7.67 seconds.

“Your determination and talent have lifted every Bahamian spirit, proving that greatness is within our reach.

“You deserve this moment, Devynne. This is your year, and we are all behind you. Thank you for making us proud.”

As she makes the trek to the World Indoors, Charlton said she will go on to compete in Madrid, Spain in about two weeks.

But she’s going to celebrate the record before someone breaks it.

When she sat down over dinner with her parents, Charlton said if there was one thing she was eager to indulge in was some dessert with her choice of preference being a brownie with some ice cream or a sundae.

She deserves everything she consumes and more.