A number of Bahamian elite athletes were on the track on Sunday, taking part in the Pure Athletics Spring Invitational at the Orlando Health National Training Center (NTC) in Clermont, Florida.
In the women’s 200 meters (m), Shaunae Miller-Uibo was as impressive as ever, opening up in 22.03 seconds. Legally, it was her fastest season opener ever. She ran a windy 21.90 seconds at the same meet in 2017.
Sporting blonde hair, Pure Athletics athlete Miller-Uibo got out of the blocks quickly, straightened up and made up the stagger on American Fe Edwards who was a lane ahead of her. Miller-Uibo powered to the front and came home comfortably in 22.03. American Quanera Hayes, representing Life Speed Athletics out of Minneola, Florida, finished second in that heat, and was second overall, in 22.68 seconds. American Lynna Irby, from Pure Athletics, was third overall in 22.75 seconds.
Miller-Uibo has already stated her intention of running the 200m at this year’s Olympics as opposed to defending her title in the 400m, due to close proximity of the two events on the schedule. Naturally, she wanted to compete in both events, but World Athletics (WA) stated that it would be difficult to alter the schedule any further.
Miller-Uibo is also patiently waiting on the appeal hearing of Bahraini athlete Salwa Eid Naser as it relates to three “whereabouts failures” in a 12-month period prior to the start of the 2019 WA World Championships in Doha, Qatar. Since then, Naser missed a fourth test but was cleared after a World Athletics Disciplinary Tribunal upheld her appeal of a provisional suspension in June of 2020. The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) determined the doping control officer (DCO) inadvertently knocked on the wrong door during Naser’s third whereabouts failure, thereby clearing the athlete of missing three tests in a 12-month period.
The appeals hearing by World Athletics and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) is set for April 22-23 at the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, Switzerland.
Meanwhile, also at the Pure Athletics Invitational on Sunday, Devynne Charlton was back in action, competing in the women’s 100m hurdles.
Charlton clocked 13.19 seconds in the heats, and came back in the final and ran a windy 13.08 seconds in a race that was just barely over the allowable wind reading. Charlton was first overall. Finishing second overall was Paola Vazquez, of Puerto Rico, in 13.37 seconds. Deya Erickson of the British Virgin Islands, was third overall in 13.73 seconds.
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