By BRENT STUBBS

Chief Sports Editor

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net    

ALL her life, Bahamian sprinter Printassia Johnson was running the 100 and 200 metres until an injury this year forced her to switch to the 200/400m combo.

Now she’s loving the latest move orchestrated by Bahamian former sprint sensation Dominic Demeritte, who is now the head coach at Life University.

Johnson, at 31, is quickly learning how to compete in the “once hated” 400m.

In her latest appearance over the weekend, Johnson won the women’s 400m Category F at the 2025 Ed Murphey Track Classic in Memphis, Tennessee in 51.52 seconds.

The meet followed her lifetime best of 51.29 for second place at the Barbados Grand Prix at the Usain Bolt Complex in Bridgetown, Barbados on July 5 where she trailed hometown favourite Sada Williams, who took the tape in 51.15.

“I think my performances have been good,” Johnson said. “When the season started, I wasn’t even a quarter-miler. This just happened by chance because I was injured.

“I was enjoying the 100 and 200m, but because of my hamstring, I couldn’t perform as well as I should have during the collegiate season. I got injured two days before we went to the conference meet.”

Demeritte, known as a 100/200m specialist, made the decision to push Johnson into the 400m to help with her rehab from her injury. He said she caught on so quickly that the decision was made to keep her at that distance.

“She started running the 400m indoors just as a training event and she ran pretty well,” he said. “But when she came to me, I told her she was more suited for the 200/400 than the 100/200m. 

“She still has the 100m in the back of her mind, but the injury kind of forced her to move up. She’s still now at 100m, so I’m looking to see what will happen when she is at 100 per cent and we can train the way we need to train.”

Johnson has certainly embraced the change. “Growing up, I really hated running the 400m, but now I’m loving it,” Johnson said. “Every time I’m stepping out on the track, I’m getting faster. It’s just a matter of me having the right competition.

“I remember when I ran against Sada in Barbados, my coach told me I was in 49-50 second shape, but I just have to go out there and run my race.”

When she got started, Johnson said she was primarily jogging the first 200m because she didn’t want to get burned out at the end of the race. “I was still nursing my injury, so I was doing around 52 seconds,” Johnson recalled. “But when I ran 51.2, that was my first time really putting my race together.

“The only focus right now is to run the qualifying standard for the World Championships, but training wise, I definitely know that I am in great shape to peak to get the qualifying time.”

The standard for the World Championships, scheduled for September in Tokyo, Japan is 50.75 and with the right field of competitors, Johnson said she’s convinced that he can do it because she “strives” off her competition.

She’s hoping that when she comes home for the Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations’ National Championships, she will get some competition from Bahamian top contender Javonya Valcourt from the University of Tennessee, who has already qualified for Worlds with her 50.68 time ran on April 19 at the Percy Beard Track in Gainesville, Florida.

“I’m just learning the event, trying to figure out how to run it,” insisted Johnson, who trails Valcourt on the 2025 performance list. “I haven’t figured that out yet, but I just enjoy running it in just my first year as a quarter-miler.

“There’s no pressure when I compete. I love competition and so I can;t want to compete against Javonya. I just wish (World and Olympic champion) Shaunae Miller-Uibo, the national record holder, would be in good shape to compete as well so we can go at it.”

She admitted that the race against Williams really inspired her as she went “toe-to-toe” with an Olympian, but she said as she pushes forward,  she still has a lot to “learn” and “improve” upon.

Johnson has had her ups and downs. 

When she first enrolled at Life University, Johnson stated that she really didn’t know about Demeritte’s accolades until she started spending time around him.

“From the first conversation with him, I felt this was where I wanted to be,” said Johnson, who turned down an offer to attend Indiana Tech. “He makes me feel right at home.

“The man knows what he’s doing. He’s a great coach. He treats me very well. If there’s anything I don’t have to worry about, I know who is the coach I want to remain with until I decide to retire from the sport.”

Prior to enrolling at Life University, Johnson spent two years at Illinois State and one year at Grambling State. But what many people don’t know is that she was off the scene for about six years. 

She came back in 2021 and started training herself before she was approached by Ednal Rolle, the head coach at the University of the Bahamas, to coach her.

Rolle got her back on track up until 2023 before she went to Florida Memorial University. But after they fired the coach, Johnson said the decision was made to join Demeritte at Life University.

“This is my second year working with her, but nothing that she is doing is surprising,” Demweritte said. “She’a a very talented athlete. As well, nothing is perfect, but she could be running faster.

“It’s all in her progress. It takes. while for that progress. Everybody’s progression is different. But I’m happy where she’s at. He’s just getting better and better.

“I’m not on to put. limit on anybody. I just feel she can do a good job, once she stays focused and humble.”

Demeritte pointed out that the plan is to get her on the plane to Tokyo.

“She has a lot to work on,” he stated. “She’s brand new to the event, not to the sport, so she’s still in the discovery phase. So I like it when they are looking to get better.

“Like every athlete, she’s going to hit a point where it’s going to take a little more. So until we get to that point, I’m just having some fun with her.”

With the 100m now as an afterthought, Johnson said the 200m will always be her first love, but now she’s getting close to enjoying the 400m just as much.

“I just want to keep it safe this season,” Johnson said. “Coach has told me that we will just concentrate on the 400m for the rest of the season.”

Johnson, the daughter of former Beck’s Cougars’ shooting guard John ‘Blocks’ Johnson and Princess Knowles, thanked her family, friends and coaches Rolle and Rashad Patton, Nikita Thompson and Henry Butler, who provided physical therapy at TAB for free for a whole year, in helping her in her comeback.

But Johnson would be the first to admit that “I haven’t anything yet,” so there’s still a long way for her to go to claim any fame or fortune as a quarter-miler.