The 13th International Association of Athletic Federations Championship events are going on in Daegu, South Korea. As has been the case for more than a decade, The Bahamas sent a respectable group of athletes.
Always among the medal favorites are the Bahamian quarter milers. This time, the 400 meters standouts are led by veteran Chris Brown, who is the defending World Indoor champion; National Collegiate Athletic Association Indoor winner Demetrius Pinder and Ramon Miller.
None of them managed to get into the open 400 meters final but much of an entire nation is anticipating the 1600 meters relay event and hoping the locals get into medal stride collectively.
Among the many Bahamians following the competition in Daegu closely and wishing for an error-free outing is a certain Leslie Miller.
Today, most Bahamians across the length and breadth of this archipelago know Miller as the fiery politician who speaks out loudly and clearly for the "little man" and who is also one of the more noted businessmen in the country.
A rather small percentage of the population know of his distinguished athletic background, though.
It was Leslie Osbourne Miller who in fact started the elite 400 meters era for The Bahamas. He was the first star collegiate performer in the event and the first to break the 47 seconds barrier. He did that with a 46.8 clocking at the 1968 Olympic Games.
He was superb as a senior athlete indeed.
However, as a high school performer, he was phenomenal and set a standard in the South Florida area that placed him forever in a very special category.
There was the 1967 season.
Miller was one of the athletes featured in the prestigious "High School Runners and Their Training Programs" book. That was the year he was Florida State Champion, an All-American and demonstrated versatility in events, second to none as he went undefeated in his specialty, the quarter mile.
Miller established Florida prep records in the long jump (24-1); the triple jump (45-11 ½); ran 21.9 in the 220 yards; 47.5 in the 440 yards and 1:57.4 on the 880 yards.
Those prep statistics compare very favorably with some other senior milestones that he registered. For instance, Miller won a collegiate 600 yards title at the Houston Astrodome with the time of 1:08.9 in 1969 and had 46.6 and 45.8 splits, respectively, in the 440 yards and 400 meters.
Today, The Bahamas is regarded widely as one of the two most consistent nations in the 1600 relay event ( the United States is the other).
It was Miller who blazed the elite trail over the one lap distance.
(To respond to this column, kindly contact Fred Sturrup at frobertsturrup@gmail.com)

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