With a little over a week to go before the start of the 20th Commonwealth Games, Bahamian athletes continue to fine tune themselves with strong performances overseas.
Three Bahamian athletes got a feel of the competition arena in Glasgow as they took part in the Sainsbury's Glasgow Grand Prix, a Diamond League Meet, on Saturday. It's at the same site as the Commonwealth Games, set for July 23 to August 3, and all three Bahamian athletes who participated on Saturday are expected to be a part of that team, even though the athletics portion of the team is yet to be ratified.
Once again, it was the ageless one, Chris "The Fireman" Brown leading the way.
Brown dipped under 45 seconds again, circling the track in 44.94 seconds to finish second in the men's 400 meters (m). Isaac Makwala, of Botswana, took the tape in 44.71 seconds and British athlete Matthew Hudson-Smith finished third, in 44.97 seconds. For Brown, who was unavailable for comment, it was the third time this year he dipped under 45 seconds. About a week ago, he ran a season's best of 44.59 seconds at the Athletissima Diamond League Meet in Lausanne, Switzerland.
Brown also picked up a victory off the track this weekend. He was nominated for and won the Bahamian Icon Award for sports, beating out noted sportsmen and women such as Coach Henry Rolle, Pauline Davis-Thompson, Cynthia Rahming and Waltiea Rolle. Sports Director Timothy Munnings accepted the award in Brown's honor.
The athletics portion of Team Bahamas for the 20th Commonwealth Games is expected to be finalized today, and Brown is expected to play a pivotal role, quite possibly contesting the open men's 400m and the 4x400m relay.
With his stellar run on Saturday, Brown has now run three consecutive sub 45-second races and looks primed to contend for a medal at the Commonwealth Games.
Also competing on Saturday at the Sainsbury's Glasgow Grand Prix was Anthonique Strachan in the women's 200m. Running out of lane seven and lined up against a tough field, Strachan came off the curve and powered home in 22.87 seconds, only good enough for seventh place. Dafne Schippers, from the Netherlands, was the surprise winner, in 22.34 seconds, American Allyson Felix continued her comeback, finishing second, in 22.35 seconds, and Blessing Okagbare, from Nigeria, was third, in 22.41 seconds.
Bianca Stuart was the only other Bahamian competing at that meet on Saturday, finishing eighth in the women's long jump, with a best leap of 6.52m (21' 4-3/4").
American Tianna Bartoletta won the event with a best jump of 6.98m (22' 11"), Katarina Johnson-Thompson, of Great Britain, finished second with a personal best leap of 6.92m (22' 8-1/2"), and Shara Proctor, also of Great Britain, was third with a jump of 6.82m (22' 4-1/2").

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