By BRENT STUBBS

Chief Sports Editor

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

TOKYO, Japan — No medals, no problem. There were a number of significant performances from the 15-member team that made up for Team Bahamas’ appearance at the 20th World Championships.

The memories from the biggest global track and field competition outside of the Olympic Games was cemented by three finalists in the hurdles and sprints, an eighth-place finish in the decathlon and the rise of some new faces to take The Bahamas through in the future.

Head coach Tito Moss couldn’t help to reflect on what he described as a memorable championship, an understatement that vibrated throughout the Japan National Stadium that was jam-packed just about every night, including Sunday’s grand finale with the downfall of the rain.

“We’re really pleased with the performance of Team Bahamas,” said Moss, whose coaching staff included Daron Lightbourne and Corrington Maycock, while May Miller served as the manager, assisted by Sharon Gardiner.

“We had another finalist in Kendrick Thompson, who ended the meet for us by finishing eighth in the world. He joined two other finalists, two semifinals and we also had three women who made it to the championships, as well as a male and female javelin thrower and a triple jumper.”

Moss called it the “changing of the guards” with younger athletes stepping up and taking over in the absence of the country’s two most successful athletes still competing, quarter-milers Shaunae Miller-Uibo and Steven Gardiner.

“We’ve seen what we can call the changing of the guards, so I think it bodes well for us as we move into 2026 when we have the Commonwealth Games, Pan Am and the inaugural ultimate World Championships in Budapest in September,” Moss said. 

“It’s an off year. We don’t have one major championship, but there’s still a lot of meets for the senior athletes to vy for and continue to grow in the sport as they head into the World Championships in 2027 and the Olympic Games in 2028.”Devynne Charlton, the world indoor 60m two-time champion and record holder, did her part at age 29 by surging to a season’s best of 12.49 seconds for sixth place in the women’s 100m hurdles final.

National record holder Rhema Otabor put her stake down for the future as the 22-year-old rising star clinched a berth into the final of the women’s javelin. 

And the 32-year-old Anthonique Strachan, despite nursing a left leg injury she sustained at the end of the smeifinals, showed up, but was disqualified with a false start in the women’s 200m final.

But Kendrick Thompson, back in action a year after he suffered two boating incidents that could have ended his career, emerged as the eighth best decathlete in the world with 8,175 points. The 28-year-old former national record holder posted five personal best marks out of the ten events contested during a two-day span.

Team Bahamas had some other performances of note that included Printassia Johnson clocking a lifetime best of 50.53 to get into the women’s 400m semifinal, while Javonya Valcourt came through in a sub-par time of 52.00 that didn’t get her out of the first round.

Co-national record holder Terrence Jones led the charge in the men’s sprints, reaching the semifinals of the 100m, but Ian Kerr didn’t advance out of the men’s 200m heats.

On the women’s side, Anthaya Charlton, the younger sister of Devynne Charlton, made her debut with a lane in the semifinals of the 100m, only to watch Camille Rutherford falling short ih theheats.

And joining Charlton in the women’s 110m hurdles, Charisma Taylor just missed booking her ticket to the semifinal in the closest of margins, while Denisha Cartwright was a distant off.

To the field, rising star Keyshawn Strachan shwed a lot of promise as a 21-year-old, even though he didn’t crack the final list of the men’s javelin.

So did 28-year-old Kaiwan Culmer, who is being guided by national record holder Leevan ‘Superman’ Sands, as he continues to soar in the men’s triple jump, although he didn’t advance to the final.

And ageless wonder Donald Thomas, at 41, gave it another gallant effort in his eighth consecutive appearance in the championships since he produced the magic as the world champion in 2007 in Osaka, Japan.

In the country’s return to Japan 18 years later, the Bahamas didn’t get a medal, but head coach Tito Moss said there was definitely a lot to look up to heading into the 21st championships in Beijing, China in 2027.

“While we didn’t get any medals, we ended up with three finalists, two semifinals and. number of personal best performances in this global international championships,” Moss said.

“To anyone who is studying the sport, right before our eyes, we see where the athletes are getting faster and faster. For instance, any other time, if you have run 13-flt in the women’s 100m hurdles, you would in the final. This year, 12.96 would not have gotten you in the final.”

Moss, however, said in the women’s 400m, all eight finalists were under 50 seconds and the top three in the women’s 800m was under one minute and 55 seconds,

“So we’ve seen the old norms being pushed to new heights,” Moss stressed. “So I would say to the Bahamian people, getting here to the World Championships is getting more and more difficult because the standards are getting higher and higher.

“And when you get here, you have to be on your A-game because the standard is so high. I understand that the Bahamian public relish in us winning medals, but I would say to them that the persons who brought back medals were generational athletes and the standards are getting higher and the races are even faster.”

Moss commended the 15 members who represented the Bahamas, despite not bringing back the provial medal. He said the athletes performed at their best here. The performances on the whole were just very high, he surmised.

As for the relays, the Bahamas didn’t get a chance to contest either the newly added mixed gender 4 x 400m or the traditional 4 x 100 and 4 x 400m relays for men and women.

“I believe right now, the Bahamas has the foot speed to field a very good mixed 4 x 400m relay team and the foot speed to field the women and the men 4 x 100m.