MOSCOW, Russia - Anthonique Strachan, the top junior female track and field athlete in the world last year, came up short by the slimmest of margins in pursuit of a spot in the final of the women's 200 meters (m) at these 14th International Association of Athletic Federations' (IAAF) World Championships.
Like her teammate Shaunae Miller, Strachan also struggled on the curve, but Miller was able to overcome that and get into tonight's final, while Strachan was out-leaned at the tape by American Charonda Williams in her semi-final heat.
Williams finished third in that heat in 22.80 seconds, and Strachan was fourth in 22.81 seconds. That was the difference in advancing to the final right there. Strachan finished in a tie with Bulgaria's Ivet Lalova for ninth overall, missing a spot in the final by one one hundredth of a second.
Strachan was so distraught by the result that she didn't talk to reporters when she came through the mixed zone after the race.
She knew she got left on the curve, and whereas she has a reputation of running down the fiercest competitors on the home stretch, doing that at the world's biggest meet for athletics is a different story. Strachan powered home on the straightaway, but it simply wasn't enough.
Jamaican Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, who took the gold in the 100m on Monday night, won Strachan's semi-final heat last night in 22.54 seconds.
Mariya Ryemyen, from the Ukraine, finished second in that heat in 22.70 seconds, and Williams edged Strachan for third in 22.80 seconds. In her morning heat, Strachan was second in 22.66 seconds. Ryemyen once again got the better of her, winning that first round heat in 22.63 seconds.
After that race, Strachan said that she just wanted to use as less energy as possible because the semis were on the same day. She just couldn't put it together the way she would have liked in the semis.
Here's what she said after her morning heat: "The semis are basically the finals, because if you don't make it past the semis, you won't see the final so I just want to go all out and secure a spot."
That turned out to be easier said than done for the reigning World double sprint champion. Strachan had a personal best time of 22.32 seconds this year, which she ran at the BTC national Open Track and Field Championships in June. With Miller through to the final, Strachan was hoping to advance as well.
That would have given The Bahamas two ladies under 20 years of age in the women's 200m final of the world championships, which would have been truly historic.
Click here to read more at The Nassau Guardian
