By BRENT STUBBS

Chief Sports Editor

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

Timothy Munnings can celebrate again with another world record - this time in the men’s 400 metres indoors at the World Masters Association’s Indoor Championships.

Munnings, who established the world outdoor 400m record outdoors last year, inked his name on the indoor record yesterday in the men’s 55-59 400m in a time of 52.82 seconds to blow away the field.

Americans Lee Bridges and David Henry picked up the silver and bronze in 53.45 and 54.99 respectively.

“This one really feels good because this is my last chance to run in this particular age category, so I was happy to come out with the gold medal and the world record,” said Munnings, who noted that he had some family members there supporting him and he didn’t want to let them and the country down.

“So it was a good way for me to complete this indoor season.” 

Munnings, 58, was a part of a five-member team representing The Bahamas that won two medals at the week-long competition at the Alachua County Sports Center in Alachua County, Florida.

The other medal - a bronze - came yesterday as well from Michael Armbrister in the men’s 65-69 long jump with a leap of 15-feet, 63/4-inches or 4.73m. Poland’s Wieslaw Musial took the gold with 17-4 (5.28m) and American Ronald Humphrey got the bronze with 15-93/4 82m).

Armbrister also competed in the men’s 400m final where he placed fifth in 1:00.77. Great Britain’s Richard White took the gold in 58.73, the silver went to Australian Rob Mayston in 59.00 and American Ronald Humphrey got the bronze in 59.31.

Armbrister had the sixth and final qualifying spot in the preliminaries with his second place in the fourth of five heats in 1:01.32.

It was redemption at the championships for Munnings, who in the past won medals as a member of the men’s 4 x 400m relay team at the 2000 Olympic Games (bronze), 2001 World Championships (gold) and 2002 Commonwealth Games (bronze).

In his first event at the championships, he got second in his heats of the men’s 200m, but was disqualified for stepping on the line in his lane.

With the disappointment behind him, Munnings picked up his second medal, adding the indoor gold to his world masters outdoor gold last year. 

He did it after he posted the fastest qualifying time of 54.39 in winning the first of five heats in the preliminaries on Saturday. Americans Timothy Roland (55.41) and David Henry (55.78) trailed Munnings with the second and third fastest qualifying times.

“Going in with the leading time, it gave me a little boost of confidence knowing that I had the ability to pull it off,” Munnings said. “The heat gave me a chance to familiarize myself with the track.

“Even though it’s 400m, the way you run it is different, so I was able to reflect and go over the race plan last night (Saturday), so I was ready,”

As for the competition, Munnings said he expected to be a lot stiff, but it didn’t matter because he was well prepared for whatever came his way. He commended coach Bernard Newbold and his athletes for pushing him and preparing him for the challenge.

Munnings, the former Director of Sports at the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture, now employed at the Ministry of Health, said he will be returning home today and will look forward to celebrating with the Bahamian people.

Armbrister had the sixth and final qualifying spot coming out of the preliminaries with a time of 1:01.32 after he led for the first 350m before he got passed in the final 50m heading to the finish line by Great Britain’s Tennyson James in 1:01.22.

Also on Saturday, Grand Bahamian Miriam Byfield, who missed her opportunity to advance in the women’s 200m earlier in the day in the 35-39 category, fell short as well in the 400m.

She clocked 1:02.01 for third in her heat and seventh overall. The top six competitors advanced to the final with American Odeika Giscombe leading the way in a time of 54.98.

Byfield, the youngest member of Team Bahamas, also missed the cut for the 200m after she was second in the second of three heats in 26.72 as she trailed Great Britain’s Stacey Downie, who won the heat in 25.92.

Although she gave it a gallant effort, it came up just a little short in seventh place overall, one stop below the top six that advanced to the final today. 

The sixth and final spot went to American Brittan Berry in 26.51. The top qualifier was Milcent Ndoro of Kenya in 24.89.

Dr Brian Humblestone got disqualified in the final of the men’s 85-89 200m final after he stepped on the line. He had qualified with the fifth fastest time of 46.39 on Wednesday and was confident of a medal on Thursday. But after finishing fourth in his heat, he was given a disqualification for the lane violation.

The race was won by Jean-Louis Esnult of France in 36.20, followed by Karlheinz Seyerlein of Germany in 36.57 and American Robert Williamson in 41.37 for the top three medal positions.

Fitness guru “Downtown” Natasha Brown, the other member of Team Bahamas, competed in the final of the women’s 50-59 long jump where she placed 20th overall with a best of 7-73/4 (2.33m).

Sweden’s Annica Sandstrom captured the gold with 15-11 (4.85m), 

Audtralian Lenore Lambert got the silver with 15-0 (4.57m) and Monica Flcioni of Uruguay was the bronze medalist with 14-111/2 (4.56m).