By TENAJH SWEETING

Tribune Sports Reporter

tsweeting@tribunemedia.net

Bahamian Olympian Timothy Munnings continues to prove that age is nothing more than a number.

The ageless wonder unofficially became the fastest man in the masters 55-59 (outdoor) 400m event after clocking 52.04 seconds in the men’s 400m open at the DTSP Wolfpack/Mike Sands Track Classic on Saturday at the original Thomas A Robinson Stadium.

The 58-year-old dipped under the 22-year-old Masters 55-59 World Record of 52.24 seconds set by American Charles Allie at the World Masters Championships in Carolina, Puerto Rico on July 12, 2003.

Munnings, who won gold at the World Masters Athletics (WMA) Championships last August, said it was a goal of his to break the record since his return from competition last year.

“I am very excited. I like to call myself the baddest man on the track and today it kind of helped to solidify that thought of mine.

“It is something that I put in my mind and that I had planned to do since I returned from Sweden after winning the World Masters Outdoor Championships. I was determined to set that record and I achieved that in January so I can expect even better things to come. I am excited that after an almost twenty plus year hiatus from the track that I am back to doing my thing,” he said.

The decorated Bahamian quarter-miler competed in the men’s 200m and 400m open events over the weekend. 

He finished the 400m event with a blistering time of 52.04 seconds. 

Cheketo Thomas, of Swift Athletics, was second in 53.51 seconds.

The Olympic Games bronze medallist also placed first in the 200m event. He clocked a time of 24.23 seconds as the lone competitor in the event.

Munnings is certainly no stranger to breaking down the barriers of age. 

He doubled up on the medals at the 2024 WMA Championships in Gothenburg, Sweden, last August.

He clinched a gold-medal finish in the men’s 55-59 400m event with a time of 53.05 seconds to become the first Bahamian to win gold at the event.

The 2001 World Outdoor relay gold medallist secured bronze in the men’s 55-59 200m finals with a then season’s best run of 23.83 seconds.

He spoke about the keys to his success as a seasoned athlete. “It is consistently training, knowing when not to overtrain, eating right, getting rest and not out late partying. You have to take care of your body and you have to sacrifice things that you would normally want to do. It is a sacrifice, but it pays off if that is what you have in your mind that you want to achieve,” he said.

Munnings is looking to continue to defy the odds as it relates to age on the track for the rest of the year.