Jeffery Gibson wins silver in 400m hurdles

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

GOLD Coast, Australia: National men's 400 metre hurdles record holder Jeffery Gibson added a little bit of history for himself at the XXI Commonwealth Games. He became the first Bahamian male athlete on the track and just the second to repeat as a medalist in the same event at the four-yearly games.

After settling for a bronze in Glasgow, Scotland in 2014, Gibson used his 6-feet, 1-inch frame to power his way down the home stretch out in lane eight and improve to silver. He achieved a season's best of 49.10 seconds, behind the British Virgin Island's Kyron McMaster, the gold medalist in 48.25 and holding off Jamaica's Jaheel Hyde, the bronze medalist in 49.16.

"I couldn't be happier with myself. I think that sometimes we look at the statistics and not everyone comes back and medals in an event like this, with it being so early in the season to expect championship times and championship performances," Gardiner said. "So I'm elated and grateful that I can come back and medal.

"I know that when I was warming up, I was having some technical difficulties that could deter me or break me mentally, but I told myself you're coming out with champions and you're a champion yourself. Run like a champion, focus on what you want to do, visualise yourself winning and just bring it on home."

Bradley Cooper was the first two-time Commonwealth Games medalists, with a silver in Edmonton, Canada in 1978 and gold in Brisbane, Australia in 1982.