BUDAPEST, Hungary - It wasn't a promising start for The Bahamas at the 19th World Athletics Championships at the National Athletics Stadium in Budapest, Hungary, but it ended on a strong note, with two Bahamian athletes running in the final of their respective events.
The nine-day meet wrapped up on Sunday with the host city nation being lauded for a job well done, and the athletics world now looking forward to an Olympic year in 2024 and the 2025 world championships in Tokyo, Japan.
At almost every global event in athletics nowadays, there is something new and innovative that the host nation does to draw interest and excite track and field enthusiasts from various backgrounds and ethnicities. The world came to Budapest with great anticipation of a fantastic meet and there was no disappointment.
At this world championships, there was the introduction of the 'queue room', a waiting room outfitted with couches where non-automatic qualifiers could wait to see if they had advanced before heading to the media's mixed zone to be interviewed.
It was in this room where Bahamian Anthonique Strachan got the living daylights scared out of her by the meet's mascot Youhuu with whom she formed a special bond afterwards, calling him her new found friend. Youhuu, who was as engaging with competitors, officials and patrons of the event, more so than any other mascot in world championships history, hid behind one of the couches and gradually revealed himself to an unsuspecting Strachan while she was in the 'Q Room'. When she got a glimpse of him, she was literally scared out of her seat. Thankfully, she avoided injury, and Strachan being the pleasant person that she is, took it nicely and laughed it off.
Also at these world championships, the local organizing committee experimented with staging medal presentation for all events in an open area on the outside of the stadium. It was a move that was met with mixed reviews, but generally, it was viewed as something out of the ordinary and something that allowed fans on the outside of the stadium to get a glimpse of the track and field stars.
There were so many occurrences during the Budapest World Championships that made it stood out, on and off the track. There was a collision with golf carts involving the athletes in the men's 200m, including eventual winner Noah Lyles of the United States, that left them a bit shaken, but otherwise, thankfully, they were able to escape major injury.
On the track, and in the field, just one world record was set - in the mixed 4×400 meters (m) relay - but it was a truly competitive meet, which featured an abundance of fantastic performances.
As for the performances of Bahamian athletes, there were two finalists - fourth for Devynne Charlton in the women's 100m hurdles in 12.52 seconds and sixth for Anthonique Strachan in the women's 200m in 22.29 seconds.
Steven Gardiner and LaQuan Nairn sustained injuries; Shaunae Miller-Uibo returned from having a baby four months ago to the day to finish 37th overall in the women's 400m in 52.65 seconds; Donald Thomas finished tied for 16th in the men's high jump with a clearance of 2.25m (7' 4-1/2"); Charisma Taylor and Shakeem Hall-Smith were both 29th overall in their respective events - Taylor in the women's triple jump with a jump of 13.51m (44' 4") and Hall-Smith in the men's 400m hurdles in 49.61 seconds; Rhema Otabor was 33rd overall in the women's javelin with a throw of 53.62m (175' 11"); Alonzo Russell was 41st overall in the men's 400m in 46.95 seconds; and Terrence Jones finished 42nd overall in the men's 100m in 10.32 seconds.
"I'm a bit disappointed that Steven Gardiner wasn't able to go through the rounds. I believe that he potentially could have broken the world record. That's the kind of shape that he was in," said Drumeco Archer, president of the Bahamas Association of Athletics Associations (BAAA). "I'm also celebrative of Devynne Charlton and Anthonique Strachan, who both made it to the final in their respective events and finished fourth and sixth in the world, respectively. That is a remarkable accomplishment and we celebrate them.
"Shaunae Miller-Uibo, I believe she is the story of the games, having a baby just four months ago and coming out and running 52 seconds in the women's 400 meters. There is something that should be said about the heroism of that kind of achievement.
"The week was like a roller coaster. We came into some highs and then we went down into some lows. There was the anticipation of some great performances, and there were some, and then there were some disappointments. I am pleased with the team's performance overall. Generally, it was a young team with new faces and they showed well. A number of them performed as well as they could perform. It's a good introduction to a world-class meet for a number of our young athletes. Overall, I'm happy."
The Bahamas' 11-member team left Budapest at different points during the course of the final week of action, with some returning to their training bases, others to their places of residence and others on the professional circuit.
This is the first time in 10 years that The Bahamas has not won at least one medal at the world outdoor championships, and just the second time in the last 20 years. Be that as it may, team officials in Budapest are encouraged as there are some promising signs heading into an Olympic year.
Gardiner and Miller-Uibo are expected to be near top form, Charlton and Strachan are improving, TyNia Gaither should be back from injury, and young stars like Taylor, Otabor and Jones, are up and coming and are expected to benefit from their experience from the Budapest World Championships.
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