By Sheldon Longley,SHELDON LONGLEY Guardian Sports Editor
Copyright thenassauguardian
TOKYO, Japan — The younger Charlton sister, Anthaya, certainly made a name for herself at these world championships.
Competing at her first global meet outdoors, Charlton bowed out in the semifinals of the women’s 100 meters (m) at the 20th World Athletics Championships at the Japan National Stadium in Tokyo, Japan, on Sunday.
She made it through to the semifinals on Saturday, but couldn’t overcome a tough field in her semifinal race on Sunday.
Charlton was impressive at her first global competition outdoors, finishing fifth in her heat of the women’s 100m on Saturday, qualifying for the semifinals with the 19th fastest time. She ran 11.18 seconds.
“I’m just happy to have an injury-free season and happy to be in the position where I was. All-in-all, I’m just happy,” said Charlton.
In the first round, it was baptism by fire for young Charlton as she found herself in the same heat with defending champion Sha’Carri Richardson, of the United States, and the second-fastest of all-time over 200m, Shericka Jackson, of Jamaica.
“They’re really fast, but I look at it as everyone is human,” said Charlton. “You never know what is going to happen. It shows that I could, and did, compete with the best. It’s been a long season, but I feel good. This was the biggest crowd I ever competed in front of. The energy out there was crazy.”
Charlton came back in the semifinals, and was sixth in her semifinal heat, and tied for 14th overall, in 11.14 seconds. She said she is grateful for the experience and is looking forward to what the future has to offer.
“It’s a good way to close the season, I guess. I finished the season healthy, and now it’s back in the lab for next year. This is only the beginning. I just have to come back with a better mindset, and be prepared for the workload,” she said.
Charlton is the only member of The Bahamas’ 15-member squad to qualify for the world championships in two events. She made the mark in the women’s long jump as well, but at the end of the day, she said she decided to focus on just one event because the schedule didn’t allow her the space to compete in both.
Older sister Devynne had nothing but strong words of encouragement for Anthaya. Devynne booked her ticket into the semifinals of the women’s 100m hurdles on Sunday, finishing second in her heat, and qualifying ninth overall, in 12.69 seconds.
“She’s going well — just navigating it. She’s still managing to get her feet wet, but big things are in store for her. She just has to keep battling,” said Devynne.
The other Bahamian in the women’s 100m, Camille Rutherford, finished fifth in her first round heat, and 35th overall, in 11.40 seconds. She did not advance.
Like Anthaya Charlton, Rutherford was making her first appearance at the world outdoor championships.
“It was a l’il slower than what I expected. I was just trying to execute with staying down in the blocks and finishing strong. There were a lot of people in the stands and I had a lot of jitters,” she admitted. “It was great energy out there, but it was a lot to take in. It was a pretty good year — I definitely broke some barriers that I wasn’t expecting to break, so I’m happy and very thankful.”
Rutherford had a career year, running under 11 seconds for the first time, this year. She ran a personal best time of 10.96 seconds at the Bob Vigars Classic, in London, Ontario, Canada, in June.
“I was just trying to stay locked in out there, and not worry about who was next to me. You just have to execute and run. It was a tough race, but I felt like I could have run faster,” she said.
There was just one competitor for The Bahamas in the men’s 100m.
Terrence Jones finished third in his first round heat, and qualified for the semifinals tied for 19th overall, in 10.16 seconds. The top three athletes in each heat, and the next three fastest times, automatically qualified for the semifinals.
“It’s been a rough few years and a rough year as a pro, so to come out here at the biggest meet in the world and do that, that’s a good start to getting back to where I was,” said Jones. “I feel like I failed in the first part of the race, but in the second part, I picked it up. I just trusted myself and trusted what my coach told me. I was able to pull through.”
Jones was in a first round heat with World and Olympic Champion Noah Lyles, of the United States. In the semifinals, Jones finished sixth in his semifinal heat in 10.10 seconds.
“Competition always pushes you to be the best, so I’m always grateful for it,” said Jones. “I have a few knick-knacks, but overall, I feel good. The door is going to be open for faster times. I feel like I have a lot more to offer, but I went out there and gave it my best. I feel like there is always something to improve on. I just have to go out there and trust the path that God has laid out for me. I’m a human, trying to deal with adversity, but I just have to believe that there is something out there for me and that there is more to come.”
It was the first time Jones advanced to the semifinals of a senior global meet.
Action continues for The Bahamas today with the semifinals, and hopefully, the final of the women’s 100m hurdles. Devynne Charlton will compete in the semifinals of the women’s 100m hurdles at 9:05 p.m. tonight in Tokyo, 8:05 a.m. Monday morning in The Bahamas. The final is set for 10:20 p.m. tonight in Tokyo, 9:20 a.m. Monday in The Bahamas.
The first two athletes in each semifinal heat, and the next two fastest times, will advance to the final. Charlton is aiming to make a fifth straight global final outdoors in the women’s 100m hurdles, following appearances in the final at the 2022 and 2023 world championships in Eugene, Oregon, USA, and Budapest, Hungary, respectively, and the 2021 and 2024 Olympics in Tokyo and Paris, France, respectively.
