A total of 41 guys in the history of athletics have run under 48 seconds in the men’s 400 meters (m) hurdles, but no one this year.

Jeffery Gibson, the only Bahamian to run under 49, is looking to take it a step further and join ‘Club 47’. Gibson rounded the track in 48.51 seconds in the final of the event at the 17th Pan Am Games in Toronto, Canada, to win the gold medal. It was the first hurdles medal of any color for The Bahamas at the Pan Am Games.

Gibson owns the 11 fastest times by a Bahamian in the event, initially breaking the national record at the 2013 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships, lowering the mark to 48.78 seconds to win the bronze medal at the Commonwealth Games last year, and taking it down to 48.51 seconds to strike gold at the Pan Ams this year. He’s hoping that by the time the Beijing World Championships roll around, he’ll be down to 47 seconds. The 15th International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) World Championships is less than a month away, August 22-30, at Beijing’s National Stadium, otherwise known as the “Bird’s Nest”, in China.

“I was really pleased with the adjustments I made from previous races, and I saw the improvement in the time that was recorded,” said Gibson. “I was excited with it being a gold at a major championships (Pan Ams), but now the focus is on Beijing. A personal best and a gold medal are great together, but I have to put that behind me now. I'm looking forward to running 47 at the worlds and being a part of ‘Club 47’.”

Gibson said that his progression as a long hurdler is primarily due to running the event more, and making adjustments as he goes along. He is currently ranked number seven in the 400m hurdles worldwide. Five of the top six are Americans, including number one and two, Bershawn “Batman” Jackson and Johnny Dutch, who train with Gibson under the watchful eyes of Coach George Williams in Raleigh, North Carolina. Jackson and Dutch are both a part of ‘Club 47’. Puerto Rican Javier Culson, who Gibson beat at the Pan Ams, is ranked sixth, and is also a part of ‘Club 47’. Jackson, Dutch and Kerron Clement, who was also beaten by Gibson at the Pan Ams, will represent the United states in the event at the world championships.

“God is allowing me to run much faster,” said Gibson. “With me running so much in recent weeks, I was able to build and learn how to run the event. I decided not to run indoors and just focus on the outdoors because the season is so long. The Pan Ams was a dress rehearsal for worlds because of the rounds. At the worlds, there will an additional round so I just have to adjust. Everyone is going to bring their ‘A’ game in Beijing, so I have to bring mine as well.”

Gibson didn’t start running the hurdles full-time until his final year at Oral Roberts University. He started off as a straight 400m runner, but after experiencing so much success in the long hurdles, he switched to that event completely. After qualifying for the 2013 Moscow World Championships in the long hurdles, he knew that he was on the right track.

“I started noticing drops in my times, so I just figured I need to keep doing this and keep progressing,” said Gibson. “At Pan Ams, I was able to see the time that I wanted so badly. It lets me know that with a few more adjustments, I could become a part of ‘Club 47’. That’s the goal for now,” he added.

Next weekend, Gibson is set to run at the 2nd North American, Central American and Caribbean (NACAC) Senior Championships in San José, Costa Rica, before resting up for the Beijing World Championships. He is one of The Bahamas’ best chances for a medal in Beijing.

Bahamas Carnival Band Owners Association (BCBOA) President Dario Terrelli yesterday urged the government to extend subsidies to band companies participating in Bahamas Junkanoo Carnival for a minimum of two years to ensure an “adequate” presence in future Road Fever street parties as private investors and sponsorships remain in short supply.

Speaking with Guardian Business following the release of the Bahamas National Festival Commission’s (BNFC) report for the carnival, Terrelli acknowledged the need for the government to scale back from the $900,000 in seed funding provided for bands in the event’s first year, but stated that further government assistance is required to help bands get their footing.

“We are hoping that the government subsidizes for three years. Since they haven’t discussed a moratorium on subsidies… we’d hope to receive not as much as this year but as much as possible,” said Terrelli.

Despite some late payments, Terrelli confirmed that all of the association’s 29 bands received their subsidies.

BNFC Chairman Paul Major stated yesterday that the commission intends to considerably reduce the band owners’ subsidies next year. The exact details of this reduction remain unclear as the commission tentatively prepares to relaunch planning in October for 2016’s festival.

“I don’t see it being repeated at the same level. In fact, we’ve already advised the companies that that will not be the case.

Given what they have told me, that people are now calling them to find out how soon they can start putting in their orders, I don’t think we’re going to have a problem with demand this time around,” Major said.

Despite the likelihood of subsidy cuts, Terrelli thanked the government for the “laudable allocation” of public funds during the first carnival, which enjoyed a $12,947,651 government subsidy – well above the event’s initially projected $9 million budget.

The controversial festival yielded $6,689,127 in tax revenue for the government and a further $1,582,973 in direct revenue against nearly $13 million in expenditure, according to the BNFC’s unaudited report.

Despite heavy loses BNFC touted over $19 million in estimated direct economic activity across New Providence and Grand Bahama (inclusive of the government’s sizable subsidies) during the festival.

Terrelli said that the BCBOA had no intention of scaling back the number of bands in the association at this point in time, and expressed confidence that the festival’s top bands would turn a profit within the next two years.

Given the country’s small population and the uncertain level of foreign participation in next year’s festival, Terrelli said that this year’s sluggish costume sales could be repeated next year.

“For us, carnival is just one day of parades but you’re looking at months of preparation… and so the subsidy will assist us greatly. By the end of the third year most bands should be able to stand on their feet. If not then let the cream rise to the top,” Terrelli stated.

Grand Bahama Shipyard's Finance and Human Resources Department are currently attending a four day Sage Summit 2015 conference in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Acting President and COO Reuben Byrd noted that “the shipyard is committed to its training agenda for employees and is proud to have our staff in New Orleans this week training on updated software being used in their departments.”

Byrd went on to note that there is also a volunteer team of employees, who are a part of our emergency response team, are at Resolve Maritime Academy in Florida receiving recertification in emergency response methods. The course is titled 'Shipboard Fire Fighting'.

"We spend significant resources in training our staff,” he noted. “We take very seriously the important role our staff play in the operations of the Shipyard."

Pictured at the Sage Summit 2015 are (left to right) Jamaal Swaby, IT Manager, Tashana Tynes, Organizational and Recruitment Officer, Genita Zephy, Payroll Officer, Marie Powell, Management Accounts Analyst, Nordaina Cooper, Accounts Payable Officer, Natasha Pierre, HRMS Specialist, Cleo Charlton, Director of Finance and Katherine Smith, Director of Human Resources and Community Relations. (Photo courtesy of Grand Bahama Shipyard for Barefoot Marketing)

A TEENAGE boy was yesterday shot multiple times and killed after two gunmen ambushed him and his older brother as they arrived at the home they shared with relatives on Podoleo Street.