By BRENT STUBBS

Chief Sports Editor

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

AS quarter-miler Steven Gardiner led a host of Bahamians competing in the United States, hurdler Devynne Charlton and sprinter Anthonique Strachan were in action at the start of the Wanda Diamond League in Xiamen, China.

At the Louisiana State University’s Gold Meet at the Bernie Moore Track Stadium in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Gardiner surged to the front of the pack in the men’s 400 metres in a sizzling time of 44.45, well off the 28-year-old Abaco native’s lifetime best of 43.49 to clinch the world title in 2019.

In the process, he surpassed the qualifying standard of 45.00 for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France, as he goes in as the defending champion from the last games in 2020 held in Tokyo, Japan.“It went pretty good. It was my season opener and my first 400 metres since I got injured,” said Gardiner of the injury that he suffered at last year’s World Championships in Budapest, Hungary, where he didn’t finish his 400m semi final race.

“I feel good about it, especially qualifying for the individual 400 metres at the Olympics again. It was a good day yesterday for me out there.”

American Vernon Norwood was second in 44.94 and Great Britain’s Matthew Hudson-Smith was third in 45.00.

“I just went out there. My coach (Gary Evans) wanted me to see where I was in training,” Gardiner said. “The main focus was just to nish the race. I felt pretty good about it.”

In other results at the meet, Printassia Johnson picked up third place in the women’s 200m invitational in 23.23 behind the Tiger Olympians’ duo of Candice Hill (22.76) and Kennedi Blackmon (23.07).

In the men’s 200m invitational, Ian Kerr got third in 20.74. Winning the event was Jeremiah Curry of Fast Unlimited in 20.57. Brandon Hicklin of Tiger Olympians was second in 20.60.

Pedrya Seymour, making her way back to the international scene after she last competed in 2021, finished 12th in the women’s 100m hurdles in 13.35 with junior sensation Nia Richards 34th in 14.51. Mariam Abdul-Rashid of Athletics Canada was the winner in 12.83.

Three Bahamianas were entered in the women’s 100m invitational with Camille Rutherford getting the highest finish in sixth in 11.18. Shayann Demeritte was 16th in 11.68 and Pedrya Seymour showed her versatility for 18th 12.03. American Aleia Hobbs of Tigers Olympians won the event in 10.88.

The men’s 100m invitational had five Bahamians entered as they came in one behind the other from seventh to 11th. Samalie Farrington led the way with 10.33, Samson Colebrooke did 10.36, Ian Kerr 10.40, Carlos Brown 10.48 and Jeremiah Adderley 10.55.

On the field, Calea Jackson, competing for the University of Miami, ended up sixth in the women’s discus with her best heave of 159-feet, 9-inches or 48.71 metres. The winning toss was 201-04 (61.37m) by Veronica Farley of Vanderbilt.

In preparation for the World Relays here at the newly refurbished Thomas A Robinson National Stadium, a few relay teams represented the Bahamas at the meet.

The Bahamas men’s 4 x 100m relay team of Samson Colebrooke, Carlos Brown, Samalie Farrington and Ian Kerr got third in 39.83. Athletics Canada, anchored by Malachi MJurray, took the win in 38.54 with the host LSU posting a collegiate leading time of 38.55 for second.

The women’s 4 x 100m relay team of Pedrya Seymour, Camille Richardson, Shayann Demeritte and Printassia Johnson was sixth in 45.17. The Tiger Olympians, anchored by Candice Hill, won in 42.77. Athletics Canada, with Crystal Emmanuel bringing the baton home, was second in 43.30.

Charlton’s season best

Charlton, in her season’s best performance, led with a clean slate through the first nine sets of the women’s 100m hurdles before she was caught on the 10th and nal hurdle and passed by reigning Olympic champion Jasmine Camacho-Quinn of Puerto Rico in the sprint to the finish line at the Xiemen Egerd Stadium.

While the taller 27-year-old Camacho-Quinn used her strength in lane five to comeback to snatch the victory in a meet record of 12.45, Charlton, 28, trailed in lane six in her season’s best of 12.49, which was just shy of her personal best of 12.45.

“I’m satisfied to just be a couple of hundredths of a second off my PR in my first race of the season,” said Charlton, who is coming off her gold medal world indoor record breaking performance at the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow, Scotland in March.

“I’m feeling pretty good about that. I would love to continue that momentum to keep me in good shape for the Paris Olympics.”

In what could be considered a prelude to the showdown in Paris in August, Cyrena Saba- Mayela of France was third in a national record of 12.55, followed by last year’s world champion Danielle Willaims of Jamaica in fourth in 12.56 and world record holder Tobi Amusan of Nigeria in fifth in 12.58, both season’s best.

Strachan, the 30-year- old sixth place nisher at last year’s World Championships, faded off the curve and ended up in ninth place in 24.21, her season’s best, but well off her lifetime best of 22.15.

Australia’s Torrie Lewis powered from lane nine with a surprise victory in a meet record of 22.96, just short of her personal best of 22.94 as she upset American world 100m champion and 200m bronze medallist Sha’Carri Richardson in second in her season’s best of 22.99. American Tamara Clark was third in 23.01.

Miller wins in Jamaica

Wendell Miller, training with the MVP Track Club in Kingston, Jamaica, won the men’s A 400m final, lowering his personal best from 45.81 to 45.69 with his victory at the Velocity Fest at Ashenhelm Stadium at the Jamaica College.

The 21-year-old Miller held off Jamaican Assinie Wilson of the Titans, who got second in a season’s best of 46.07. Amal Glasgow of St Vincent and the Grenadines was third in 46.44.

Cartwright won in Virginia

At the Virginia Grand Prix at the Lannigan Field at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia, Bahamian Indea Cartwright, a junior at Liberty, won the women’s 100m hurdles in 13.51. Tyra Thomas, a junior at Marshall, trailed in 13.90 for second.

Cartwright was also fourth in the 400m hurdles in 1:02.78. Emily Alexandru ran a season’s best of 59.71 for the win.

Stubbs tops at Arkansas

At the Arkansas Spring Invitational at the John McDonnell Field at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, Arkansas, Keityhwood Stubbs, a junior at Oral Roberts University, placed 11th in the men’s long jump with his best leap of 20-1` 3/4 (6.14m). Winning the event was Blair Anderson, a junior at Oklahoma State, with 25-13⁄4 (7.66m).

Ethan Hanna, a senior at Oral Roberts University, was 20th in the men’s 400m in 51.59. Evan Sanni-Thomas, a junior at Tulsa, won the event in 48.31.

Jonathan Fowler, a freshman at Oral Roberts, was 25th in the men’s 100m in 10.71. The winning time was 9.98 by Traunard Folson, a sophomore at Indian Hills (Iowa).

Seymour-Stamps back in action Quarter-miler/hurdler

Katrina Seymour-Stamps, now competing for Sanctuary Athletics, got fifth in the women’s 400m at the Pure Athletics Spring Invi- tational at the National Training Center in Clermont, Florida in 57.59. The race was won by Junelle Bromfield of Adidas in 52.13.

Seymour-Stamps, 31, has not competed since 2020. She opened her season at the Percy Beard Track in Gainesville, Florida on March 29 where she ran the 400m hurdles in 1:00.03.

She followed that with a pair of appearances in the 200m and 400m at the University of South Florida Track and Field Stadium in Tampa, Florida, on April 6 where she ran 25.12 and 57.53 respectively.