By BRENT STUBBS

Chief Sports Editor

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net    

TOKYO, Japan — She was a double qualifier in the women’s 100 metres and the long jump, but Anthaya Charlton said it was in her best interest to just concentrate on the track and not the field event at the 20th World Outdoor Championships.

On Sunday night, Charlton shined in the spotlight as she made it to the semifinals of the 100m, clocking 11.14 seconds for 6th place as she trailed Saint Lucia’s Olympic champion Julien Alfred through the line at the Japan National Stadium in her posting of 10.99.

The 22-year-old Charlton, now competing as a professional athlete in her post college experience, missed out on a spot into the final, but was still pleased with her 14th position overall. “It was better than 11.18,” said Charlton about her improvement from her qualifying round of the heats on Saturday. “It’s a good way to close out the season.

“It was a good race. I finished the season healthy. Now, we’re back in the lab for next year.”

Running on the inside in lane two, the slim built Charlton tried to push through with the crowd and was in contention all the way to the end of the race.

One thing she came to realise as she tried to negotiate one of the two automatic qualifying or one of the two fastest losing times to get into the final, she couldn’t take any of her competitors for granted.

“At this stage, everybody’s great,” said Charlton about the talented field of sprinters from around the world. “It’s about who wants it more, whose time it is at that very moment. Track don’t love nobody. You have to go out there and show out.”

In making her debut at the outdoor championships after she did it indoors in March in Nanjing, China where she was sixth in the long jump final, Charlton admitted that it was a learning experience and it will only prepare her for the future.

“It’s only the beginning,” said Charlton, who is coming off a long season that was mixed with college and the pro ranks. “It’s my job now, so I have to tack in and earn my money.”

The University of Florida graduate joins her elder sister, high hurdles specialist Devynne Charlton, as they are now both signed and sponsored by Puma shoe company.

As the second fastest Bahamian ever at 10.87 on June 12 behind national record holder Chandra Sturrup at 10.84 from July 5, 2005, Charlton said she’s pleased with her progress so far. 

On the opening day of the championships on Saturday, she advanced with the third of the four fastest losers times to join the field of 20 automatic qualifiers for the semifinals. Her time of 11.18 for fifth place in the third of seven heats placed her 19th overall. She was one of two Bahamians hoping to advance, but Camille Rutherford fell short in her bid in heat four with fifth as well in 11.40 for 35th overall.

But Charlton, who opted to compete in the 100m as opposed to the long jump, which she also qualified to compete in at the championship, said she felt she could have executed her race better, but she was just glad to get through injury-free.

She had to do it competing against Richardson, the heat winner in 11.30 and Jackson, the runner-up in 11.03, but Charlton said she took it all in stride.

“I have to look at it like everybody’s human, but they’re really fast and they help to push me,” she insisted. “I was just happy that I could compete with the best.”

Charlton was one of two Bahamians who contested the 100m.

In heat four, Camille Rutherford also placed fifth in 11.40, but her time pegged her at 35 out of a field of 60 competitors as she fell short of the 24 qualifiers.

In her second appearance at the biggest global individual championship in track and field, coming off her appearance at the World Indoor Championships on March 23 in Nanjing, China where she was sixth in the long jump final, Charlton admitted that it was the “biggest crowd I ever competed in.

“I tried to tune it so that it wasn’t going on, but the energy out there was just crazy. It was a very interesting venue.”

Going into the championships, Charlton had to make a decision on whether she would do the 100m or the long jump, which she also qualified in by breaking Bianca Stuart’s previous national record of 22-feet, 5-inches or 6.83m from June 26, 2015 with her leap of 22-10 3/4 (6.98m) on January 31. 

“The schedule didn’t really permit both events to happen. Right now, the long jump is still going on and my heat (of the 100m) just ran. I would have had to leave the long jump, go run and then go back to the long jump, or place all my bets on qualifying on my first jump.

“I really would have been sacrificing both events to compete in both, so I had to pick the one that was more consistent and better in and it was the 100m.”

The Gator graduate’s decision was based on the fact that she only competed in one or two long jump events this season, but was consistent in the century race.