Two of the country's premier track and field athletes capped off the 2015 athletics season in spectacular fashion yesterday at the final meeting of the International Association of Athletic Federation's (IAAF) Diamond League in Brussels, Belgium.
Shaunae Miller put the stamp on her historic season with a come from behind win in the women's 400 meters (m) in a time of 50.48 seconds, while Pan American games gold medalist Jeffrey Gibson ran away with the men's 400m hurdles in 48.72 seconds.
American Francena McCorory led throughout the majority of the race and appeared to have it in hand with about 50 meters to go. At that point, Miller and Jamaican Stephenie Ann McPherson were battling for second, but through the final 30 meters the IAAF World Champs silver medalist made her way to the front of the pack and managed to edge McCorory for the win in her final professional race of the 2015 track and field season. McCorory ended up with silver in 50.59 seconds while McPherson finished third in 51 seconds.
As for the national record holder in the men's 400m hurdles, his race was the exact opposite. Gibson ran out of lane three and moved to the front of the pack in the early goings and never looked back. American Bershawn Jackson made a push on the final bend but couldn't keep up with Gibson down the stretch in the final 100 meters. Jackson finished second in 48.76 seconds followed by Kariem Hussein of Switzerland in 48.87 seconds.
Both Miller and Gibson enjoyed the most successful years of their professional careers, setting a number of new national records and capturing medals at some of the grandest events in track and field. Gibson won the bronze at last month's World Championships in Beijing, China with a time of 48.17 seconds. During the week-long meet, he lowered his national record twice on the way to the third place finish. His progression has been steady and a continuance could have him positioned as the favorite for the gold medal at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Back in July, Gibson clocked a time of 48.51 seconds to power himself to a gold medal in the long hurdles at the 17th Pan Am Games in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The native of Grand Bahama said that one of his goals for the new season is to become a part of the "47 Club". As for Miller, she made a strong comeback following an injury-riddled 2014 season. She finished second at World Champs in a time of 49.67 seconds behind American Allyson Felix's personal best of 49.26 seconds.
This year she became just the third Bahamian female to ever crack 50 seconds in the 400m, moving past Christine Amertil on the all-time list, and trailing just former national record holder Pauline Davis-Thompson (49.28) and current national record holder Tonique Williams (49.07).
Earlier in the year she set a new personal best and national record with a blazing time of 22.14 seconds in the women's 200m at the Jamaican International in Kingston. Miller now trains out of Pure Athletics at the National Training Center Track and Field Complex in Clermont, Florida, after spending her first professional season with coach George Cleare in Athens, Georgia.
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