The Tribune

Back, this time as the new world indoor record holder, Devynne Charlton was thrilled to share her expertise with the aspiring young ladies in the hurdles on Monday.

One day after she represented the Bahamas on the women’s 4 x 100 metre relay team that missed out on an opportunity to qualify for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France, Charlton hosted the one-day camp at the original Thomas A. Robinson Track and Field Stadium.

On Tuesday, she was in Grand Bahama to conduct another one-day camp at the Grand Bahama Sports Complex before she heads back to Kentucky to resume her training for the Olympics, having already qualified for the 100m hurdles.

“I hope to make this a yearly thing where I come out and just take a day or two where I just show the kids some things that I’ve implemented into my practices and just hope that they can use these tools as well to advance in the hurdles,” she said.

Compared to what transpired during her initial camp last year, Charlton said she was pleased to see the keen interest from the young ladies and hopefully they will learn from what she has to offer. “The first time around, we had some girls who were interested in the hurdles and now we are seeing them again and although it’s only been a year, their techniques have been looking good already,” she pointed out.

This time around, Charlton said her aim is to take the girls through a more advanced level of training and it will be pretty intense.

“I literally grew up on this track, so just being out here reminds me of those days when I was a little girl,” she Charlton, who got some assistance from her father, former hurdler Dave Charlton, who is the head coach of the Star Trackers Track Club.

“So just to see the amount of girls who are taking on the hurdles is something,” she said. “When I was hurdling, sometimes it was just me, maybe another girl or two, so to see this big amount of girls taking on the event is special/.”

To the participants, Charlton said she had one clear message.

“:This is where you lay the foundation, This is where you find out what it really means to be an athlete and do the sport of track and field,” she insisted. “It warms my heart to see the amount of young girls coming out.”

Two of the campers noted how leased they were to learn from Charlton’s experience.

Darinique Moss, a heptathlete from Jumpers Inc., said she wanted to use the opportunity to learn from the best the country has to offer.

“It’s great to see a Bahamian female athletes doing such great things is inspiring all of us,” said Moss, a 16-year-old 11th grader at CV Bethel Secondary High .”I like the heptathlon, but because the hurdles is included, I decided to come out and do it anyway.”

Zaria Stapleton, a 17-year-old 12th grader at St Augustine’s College, wants to get back into competing in the hurdles, which she did from grade eight as a member of the Star Trackers Track Club.

“I quit, but this camp has given me more motivation to start again,” said Stapleton, who has made some waves as a author of a couple of books named “The Cookie Crumbler,” “The Butterfly Effect” and “Twins of Stapleton Gardens.”

“Devynne has been a long-time teammate and family friend, so I was glad to come out and learn from her.”

As for Charlton’s achievement, Stapleton said it’s been impressive.

“I’ve seen her train for so long and I’ve watched all of her races on the big stage and so to see her beat all of the people who were ahead of her is just amazing,” she said.

There’s no telling what the future holds for Stapleton as she heads off in August to begin her studies at St Cloud State University, but she indicated that if her path takes her through track and field, she will pursue it. But she’s prepared for whatever life throws her way.

The 28-year-old Charlton, who was also assisted by her mother, Laura and parent Myriam Stapleton, said it’s just her way to give back and inspire the next generation of hurdlers to get to the next level.