There are many famous quotes that talk about the inevitability of change. 

They all say, “change is inevitable” and I agree. 

After all, in this fast-paced world, things are constantly developing, constant changes in technology means we are always having to adjust to keep pace with a rapidly evolving world.  

Those who can adapt are often more likely to succeed while those who can’t often get left behind. 

In my own field, the advent of social media and the tools that assist with easy dissemination of information have meant a change in attitude and approach to how content is created for traditional media. 

But in my field and many others, there are people who constantly resist change for whatever reason. 

I must admit, change isn’t always good and so it can sometimes be difficult to determine when change is necessary as opposed to when to maintain the status quo. 

In sports, many athletes are faced with this dilemma. As a teenager, which sport should I focus on? I think I could be world-class at a couple and then at the highest level what’s my best position or what is my best event? Those are questions many athletes constantly ask themselves. 

The answers are never easy to find and that is exactly why when an athlete makes drastic career alterations and still finds more success they should be lauded. 

I think about former Jamaican hurdler Danny McFarlane, the 2004 Olympic 400 metre hurdles silver medallist.  

Before Danny was a hurdler, he was a more than competent flat 400 metres athlete. 

By the time he ran his first ever race over 400m hurdles, in April of 2003, Danny was already an Olympic 400 metres finalist, an Olympic mile relay silver medallist, four times an IAAF World Championship mile relay silver medallist, an IAAF World Indoor mile relay champion and also 400 metres bronze medallist. 

To say he had carved out a solid career is an understatement. 

But clearly Danny felt he could have achieved more from the sport of track and field. However, his personal best at 400 metres was 44.90 seconds, set in 1995. 

If he wasn’t going to run much faster, which was unlikely at 31 years old when he changed events, then it’s unlikely he would have done much more than appear on a few Jamaican relay teams. 

So, he took the bold step despite little to no hurdling experience. 

I won’t chart the race by race improvements he made between April 2003 and his Olympic silver medal performance at the Athens Games in 2004 but I will say his rise was meteoric. 

In his first year of contesting the event, he won the Jamaican title, improved to 48.30 seconds, and finished fourth at the World Championships in Paris France. 

And so, it wasn’t a massive surprise that he was a contender when the Olympic Games rolled around in 2004. 

With eventual champion Felix Sanchez of the Dominican Republic and American James Carter favored to battle for Gold, many felt McFarlane was running for bronze. 

But the 32-year-old timed it perfectly, running a personal best 48.00 seconds to win his semi-final and when Carter blew up down the stretch in the final, McFarlane pounced and captured a deserved silver. 

My recollection of Caribbean voice Lance Whittaker, “and McFarlane looks as if he will get silver – and he does,” as his voice raised almost in shock.   

One thing we all remember from that Danny McFarlane performance is that it was far from perfect. 

His 400 metre hurdles journey from 2003 to the point of his retirement as a 40-year-old in 2012 was characterized by less than perfect hurdling. 

While he improved over time, for the most part, his hurdling could be described as jumping. 

But he jumped his way into the hearts of Jamaicans who adored him because of his willingness to try something new, to embrace change, to fight, and when technique failed to turn to heart. 

For all that and more, Danny McFarlane isn’t just a lesson for 2004 but a lesson for life. 

Danny isn’t just a lesson for track and field or just for sport but a lesson for all endeavors.  Danny, we salute you and say thank you for teaching us all a valuable lesson.  

 In general, the idea of what a woman should look has become a problematic issue, increasingly within our current societal framework.  In athletics, it seems to be no different.

Women’s tennis legend Serena Williams once said: “I think of all the girls who could become top athletes but quit sports because they’re afraid of having too many defined muscles, being made fun of, or called unattractive.”

While not implicitly stated, appearances are also judged and discriminated against in athletics.  Women with conditions like hyperandrogenism tend to have bigger muscles due to high natural levels of testosterone and are as such, in my opinion, singled out for discrimination by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) rules.  Despite the fact that it is how they were born.

  In fact, women who compete with such conditions can be subject to gender verification testing should ‘suspicions’ arise. Hyperandrogenism or androgen excess is a medical condition characterized by excessive levels of testosterone in the body and the condition affects approximately 1% of elite female athletes.  Such embarrassing stipulations not only serve as a barrier to some women competing but also as a deterrent to getting involved in the first place.

In a recent chat with the Olympic Channel, Jamaican sprinter Elaine Thompson-Herah credited fellow athlete Dutee Chand for helping put India on the global athletics stage.

Thompson-Herah gushed over the idea of athletes from other countries vying to claim a space on the global athletics map, in hopes of proudly representing themselves and their country.

“As an athlete, I think that is really exciting and great to see them coming in to deliver and perform well,” said the Olympic champion.

Having come from an impoverished community to become one of the world’s best, Thompson-Herah knows all about challenges.  Even now she battles with a nagging Achilles injury that has affected her for a good portion of her career.

For athletes like Chand, the list of obstacles can be even longer.  Thompson-Herah pointed to the athlete’s first language as another likely barrier to perhaps sharing nuggets of wisdom.

“English is not the native language for her,” Thompson-Herah explained.

“It is kind of hard to translate everything to another person who doesn't speak English, but Dutee is getting to know more and getting better each time.”

But in her short time competing as an athlete she has overcome an even bigger one.  One that were it not for her grit and determination, could have meant the end of her competing.

In June 2014, after she won two gold medals at the Asian Junior Athletics Championships in the 200 metres and 4 × 400 m relays, Chand was dropped from the 2014 Commonwealth Games contingent at the last minute after the Athletic Federation of India revealed that hyperandrogenism made her ineligible to compete as a female athlete.  Chand challenged the gender testing policies and on July 26, 2015, the court ruled in favour.  The IAAF, as a result, temporarily suspended the hyperandrogenism regulations.

Consequently, she qualified for the 2016 Olympic games without having to alter her natural hormone levels.

The issue was, however, far from concluded. After further analysis in April 2018, the IAAF announced new eligibility regulations for female runners setting an upper testosterone limit, which applied to the 400m, 800m, and 1500m events.  Chand was left unaffected by the revised regulations and has her eyes set on the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.  The rule amendment did, however, impact another woman, South African middle-distance runner Caster Semenya. 

The three-time World Championship gold medallist and two times Olympic champion could no longer compete in her preferred 800m event after the new IAAF "differences of sex development" rules that required athletes with specific disorders of sex development, testosterone levels of 5 nmol/L and above, and certain androgen sensitivity, take medication to lower their testosterone levels.  Semenya, like Chand, contested the decision but lost the case at both the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) and appeal at the Federal Supreme Court of Switzerland.  She has considered switching to the 200m event.

September is Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) awareness month.  PCOS is a hormonal disorder common among women of reproductive age and is one of the conditions that can affect these elite athletes.  When women have PCOS, they may have excess male hormone (androgen) levels.

Sports governing bodies should accept the fact that some women naturally produce higher levels of testosterone and those who do should be allowed to compete. When will women just be allowed to be women?

Please share your thoughts on Twitter (@SportsMax_Carib) or in the comments section on Facebook (@SportsMax). Don’t forget to use #IAmNotAFan. Until next time!

Reigning Olympic sprint double champion, Elaine Thompson-Herah, insists a recent battle with injury and past major games disappointment has only served to strengthen her resolve and determination.

The 28-year-old runner was the toast of the Rio Olympics in 2016 after smashing the competition by speeding to blazing wins in the 100m and 200m sprints. It seemed the Jamaican was only destined for major success from there on in, but things have not quite unfolded in that manner. Just one year later, despite heading into the World Championship 100m final with the fastest time in the world that season, 10.71, Thompson-Herah finished a disappointing fifth place.

Two years later, at the 2019 edition of the World Championship, she was again at the top of the world charts, tied with a season-best 10.73 with teammate Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce. However, while Fraser-Pryce went on to excel with a gold medal-winning 10.71, Thompson-Herah finished fourth in  10.93. The athlete has also in-between struggled with an Achilles injury, which has affected her explosiveness and comfort on the track.

“Sometimes it may be a little bit stressing to be a top athlete facing all these obstacles,” Thompson-Herah told the Olympic Channel.

“You can’t produce the times that you normally produce, and you may not be able to get a medal at a championship. Sometimes you sit and you wonder, why me? Or why is this happening,” she added.

“Disappointments do come, but as I said, I have to continue to work hard because I didn’t go to a championship to lose, it was just beyond my control. We just have to use those disappointments to motivate. And that’s key. Disappointment makes you better and stronger.”

A mixture of shock, sadness and disappointment greeted Mickey Haughton-James’ announcement last week that he would close the Spartan Health Club indefinitely at the end of September because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The gym opened in 1976 and has largely been associated with the beautiful women of the Miss Jamaica World franchise but Spartan has also been home to some of Jamaica’s greatest athletes, among them some of the very best in the world.

Reggae legend Bob Marley also broke sweat there.

Members of the West Indies cricket team, Jamaica’s Reggae Boyz, World and Olympic medallists and Jamaica’s world-class netballers have all, at one time or another used the facilities to hone their bodies in the pursuit of athletic excellence.

Leeroy Gray was a physical trainer at the gym for many years. Before he migrated, he worked with some of the very best including eight-time Olympic gold medallist and world record holder Usain Bolt; 2011 100m World Champion Yohan Blake as well as Olympic bronze medallist Warren Weir.

Gray also trained St Kitts’ Kim Collins, the 2003 100m World Champion; British 100m champion Dwayne Chambers, Olympian Aleen Bailey, World Championship bronze medallist Ristanana Tracey and Commonwealth 100m champion Kemar Bailey-Cole during his time at what he described as Jamaica’s No. 1 gym.

“To hear that the gym is closing for good, it is not good,” he told Sportsmax.TV, clearly at a loss for words.

He was not the only one taken by surprise.

“I don’t even know where to start,” said Blake, the second-fastest man of all time. “Usually, when I get up in the morning I scan through the news while preparing for training. It was a shock to find out that Spartan was closing for good.

“I remember clearly this amazing facility that helped not only me, but so many of our world-class athletes reach where they are today. It was a wonderful place to do your workout and have a talk with everyone. I have many good memories of Spartan. I still can't believe it. I understand this facility has been around from 1976. It represents the end of an era. I am truly sad that it has to close.”

Blake alluded to the fact that Spartan was more than just a gym. It was a place where like-minded athletes shared conversations and inspiration with the many patrons.

Weir, who along with Bolt and Blake, finished 1-2-3 in the 200m at the 2012 London Olympics also had fond memories of the days when he trained there.

“Spartan was that place where you went and just felt motivated to work because there was so much inspiration around you. People were always encouraging you to just be your best,” Weir recalled.

“I remember when I just started at Spartan, there were always people there telling you ‘you’re gonna be good, you’re gonna be great, just continue training’

“Then seeing other sports people and artistes there putting the work in, also motivates you and lets you see that you on the TV is work that is being done on the back end.”

Former West Indies opener Wavell Hinds spent a lot of time at Spartan after his Test career ended in 2005. The work he put in there helped him prolong his playing days and for that, he expressed his gratitude to Haughton-James.

“The generosity of Mr James and the Spartan Gym contributed immensely to my career between 2007 and 2011,” he said.

“In fact, the entire Jamaica Cricket team benefited from the use of Spartan gym during the said period.  I want publicly thank Mr James and Spartan for their contribution to the development of Jamaica's cricket.”

Former Netball Jamaica President Marva Bernard said read the news of the impending closure made her very sad.

“Many, many years ago we used to get support from Mickey to use the gym to train the Sunshine Girls and I vividly remember Connie Francis, in particular. I can still see her running on that treadmill as if her life depended on it, that is how hard she trained,” Bernard said.

“And so, I want to say to Mickey, thank you so much for the years of support that you have given, not only to Netball Jamaica but several of the elite athletes in all sporting disciplines.

“Your generosity knows no bounds and I hope that one day you will rebound because you’re a good man and your gym has made a difference in many people’s lives.”

Juliet Cuthbert-Flynn created history on Friday after becoming the first Olympic medallist to be appointed a Jamaican government minister.

Visionary founder, Sherneil Charlery, is at the heart of a fledgling initiative that it is hoped will blossom to produce top-class female athletes for the tiny island of St Lucia in the next few years.

More importantly, however, ‘Supporting Girls in Sports’ has targeted bringing hope and knowledge to underprivileged young girls, hoping to find a way to rise out of poverty through sports.

If Charlery could choose just one Jamaican athlete to help with the organisation’s ‘Adopt A Girl’ initiative, she admits it would be difficult.  Jamaica is renowned through the Caribbean and the perhaps the world for producing top-class athletes.

In the end, she settled on Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Khadija Shaw. “Our current group of girls is involved in football and track and field. I would choose Fraser-Pryce and Shaw, not only because they play the same sports as our girls, but because they share the same stories. Like them, our girls come from single-parent homes or are raised in violent communities,” Charely explained.

“Seeing people who were able to succeed, despite the obstacles they faced, would inspire our girls to continue giving out their best.”

The ‘Adopt A Girl’ initiative aims to assist underprivileged female athletes (11- 14 years old) who are unable to afford their sporting expenses, such as club fees, equipment, and uniform. Additionally, the girls are paired with an advisor (an older member of the organisation) who will mentor and help them balance school, sports, and their personal lives.

It’s easy for an up and coming athlete to spot an internationally acclaimed Jamaican athlete to identify with.  The list is long and varied. Take Elaine Thompson-Herah for instance. When asked what motivates her, she told Dalton Myers on the August 31st’s episode of the Drive Phase, “I remember when I was growing up, I was looking at Veronica Campbell-Brown, Merlene Ottey and they motivated me to work hard and reach where I’m at,” she said.

The young girls can also look for inspiration further home.  A recent SportsMax.tv article In Honour of Levern Spencer spoke about the accomplishments of the great St Lucian athlete.  The article pointed to Spencer as a role model and pointed out that she was the best St. Lucia has ever produced, adding that “the next generation of St Lucian athletes have a marker to chase.”

The ‘Supporting Girls in Sports’ organisation wishes to expand the initiative to other Caribbean islands in the next five years, but in the meantime, their ‘Adopt A Girl’ program, which has helped seven girls to date, is already ensuring St. Lucia has a brighter future in athletics. 

Please share your thoughts on Twitter (@SportsMax_Carib) or in the comments section on Facebook (@SportsMax). Don’t forget to use #IAmNotAFan. Until next time!

Oftentimes, conversations about diversity in sports stop at race. There’s so much more to explore.

Don't get me wrong, discussions around race and diversity are important because there is more work to be done.

Just last Wednesday, TVJ's Prime Time sports featured international equestrian Lydia Heywood. Heywood, who is the daughter of a British mother and Jamaican father, does not look like most of her fellow competitors. Hence, she is pushing for more diversity in the sport.

Diversity in sports, however, isn’t only about race. Diversity covers a range of things including sexual orientation (yes, track star Caster Semenya is a symbol of diversity in sports) and age. Diversity would also mean accepting different sports. A diverse range of sports.

So, Heywood is onto something when she encourages prospective athletes and fans to accept non-traditional sports. In this case, equestrian.

Contributors to the gaming industry also want diversity. Before Jabari Brown decided to make his own game, he modified and animated characters. A video game modifier is a person who makes minor changes to another artist’s work. Jabari modified and animated characters because he wanted to see people who look like him. His modified black characters are called ‘cosplayers’. They have super speed, super strength; typical superpower stuff.

 Diversity is a superpower within itself. It gives a sense of worth and comfort through representation. When people identify with something, they’ll keep coming back. Jabari’s characters are influenced by Jamaican culture. His characters speak patois and the word ‘dark’ in his moniker ‘Japter Dark’ represents his dark brown complexion.

Jabari recently decided to make his own game but admits it will take many years to complete.

His mobile game will be a side scroller endless runner. A game where the player is always running. His other game will be more complex. The concept is an HD fighting game like Marvel vs Capcom. This means, it will be labour intensive and will definitely need funding.

 I get it, sprinting events spark joy and delight in Jamaicans. Our athletes give their all, excel, and have been doing so for many years. Just the same, I believe nontraditional sports can spark pride in us because anything Jamaica is a part of what makes us very proud. However, it will take truly accepting diversity for what is it for the island to be genuinely known for equestrian sports, esports, etc.

When diversity is grasped, non-traditional sports and industries can flourish. Prospective athletes and gamers will  see non-traditional sports as a plausible career choice.

Double Olympic sprint champion Elaine Thompson-Herah, two-time world 200m champion Dafne Schippers and multiple world medallist Marie-Josée Ta Lou, will go head to head over 100m at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Doha on Friday, September 25, 2020.

 The three women have met at this meeting on two previous occasions. Thompson-Herah triumphed over 200m in 2017, clocking 22.19 into a -2.3m/s headwind with Schippers finishing second and Ta Lou placing third.

They clashed again one year later, this time over 100m, and Ta Lou came out on top, running 10.85. Thompson-Herah was third on that occasion and Schippers was sixth.

But the last time they were in the Khalifa Stadium was for last year’s World Championships, where Ta Lou took 100m bronze, just 0.03 ahead of Thompson-Herah. Schippers, meanwhile, was forced to withdraw from the final through injury.

Thompson-Herah’s season’s best of 10.88 set in Kingston on August 8 is the second-fastest of the year to date.

 “I’ve been fortunate to be able to race at home over the summer, but nothing beats the thrill of lining up in an overseas, international meet,” said the Jamaican. “I can’t wait to get back on the circuit, especially as part of a quality field in Doha where I’ve really enjoyed competing in the past.”

Ta Lou will be looking to build on her Wanda Diamond League performances in Monaco and Stockholm where she finished fourth (11.39) and third (11.32) respectively, while Schippers will make her season’s debut over 100m in Doha.

Doha’s Qatar Sports Club will host the revised 12-event programme – the final competitive meeting of the truncated 2020 Wanda Diamond League season – which includes sprint hurdles and 800m for both men and women; 100m, 3000m and long jump for women; and 200m, 400m, 1500m and pole vault for men.

Mo Farah broke the world record for the distance run in an hour at Friday's Diamond League meeting in Brussels.

The British long-distance runner – a four-time Olympic gold medallist – covered 21,330 metres in 60 minutes, beating the previous best of 21,285m set by Haile Gebrselassie in 2007.

In his first attempt at breaking the record, Farah stepped things up after finding himself around 10 metres behind Gebrselassie's pace at the midway point.

Bashir Abdi overtook Farah with five minutes remaining but the 37-year-old powered back in the final 60 seconds to claim his first world record.

Farah was competing for the first time since October's Chicago Marathon and is now preparing for the 10,000m event at next year's rearranged Olympic Games in Tokyo.

"That's incredible. I'm very happy to break the world record today," he said in an on-track interview.

"Me and Bashir Abdi worked together. I'm so pleased for him and for myself and what an amazing way to do it and show the people what is possible.

"I feel tired but at the same time in the middle part of the race we had to work hard. 

"I wasn't sure what we were doing and had to help each other and get through it and it's nice to break a world record."

Meanwhile, Sifan Hassan set a new best distance of 18,930m in the women's equivalent event, breaking the record of 18,517m held by Dire Tune since 2008.

Jamaican Olympian Jason Morgan has expressed gratitude after winning an award at the Monroe Chamber of Commerce, The Young Professionals and Bayou Life Magazine 2020 Top20 Under-40 Awards.

The award recognises outstanding professionals in North and Central in Louisiana, who have made a positive impact on their communities.

The 37-year-old Morgan has been a standout member of his community where he is the Fatherhood Programme Coordinator for Life of Choice North Central Louisiana. He also serves as the Campus Coordinator for at-risk kids and is a motivational speaker for youth groups on character and leadership.

Morgan said he was humbled and honoured at being an award winner.

“Thank you kindly, Monroe Chamber of Commerce for recognizing me as one of the North East and North Central Louisiana Top 20 young professional,” he said in a post on Facebook.

“I will continue to be a servant and let God be my guide on this journey. I also want to thank all the people who have supported me and believed in me and giving me the opportunity to work with them.”

Morgan is a motivational speaker at several high schools in his community, churches and at youth events. He has also worked with teenagers and young adults aiding their personal development and also as a mentor and coach.

“It’s also a jubilant feeling when I can share that in the past eight years I have coached over 19 high school athletes receiving college track and field scholarships in the discus, shot put and javelin, so they could get an education and excel in sports,” he said.

At the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, Brazil, Elaine Thompson-Herah became the first Jamaican woman and the seventh woman ever to win the 100/200m double at the same Olympic Games.

If she has her way, if the Olympics are held in Tokyo next year, she will be in a pantheon of one- the only female sprinter to successfully defend an Olympic sprint double at the same Olympics.

She believes it is possible but it depends on one key factor.

“(Being) healthy is key because when I am healthy I am in the best shape of my life, I don’t think I have reached that yet. I just want to maintain that health. I really want to capture back my double at the Olympics,” she said while speaking on the Drive Phase Podcast with host Dalton Myers.

“I want to retain my titles.”

When she won the sprint double in Rio, the achievement thrust her into the global spotlight as one of the greatest-ever female sprinters and made her a national treasure in a country known for athletic icons like Herb McKenley, Donald Quarrie, Merlene Ottey, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Usain Bolt.

However, unlike Fraser-Pryce and Bolt, Thompson-Herah has so far failed to build on that legacy. Injury and illness robbed her of possible gold medals at the 2017 World Championships in London and again at the 2019 World Championships in Doha, where she finished fourth in the 100m final, having gone into the meet with the joint fastest time in the world.

She said she doesn’t intend to dwell on those disappointments and will continue to work hard, hoping that that elusive World Championships gold medal will soon be hanging from her neck.

Meantime, she has other goals in mind.

 “I still want to get below that 10.7 barrier,” said the woman who shares Jamaica’s national record of 10.70 with two-time Olympic 100m champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce.

“I think I have it in me. It’s just about the time for it to come.”

She also believes she can go faster than her 200m 21.66 PB set in 2015 when she won the silver medal at the World Championships in Beijing, China.

“Once I am healthy anything is possible,” she said.

Coach Lance Brauman has allayed fears over the health of Shaunae Miller-Uibo after the 2019 World Championships 400m silver medallist failed to finish her 200m race at the Drake Blue Oval Showcase on Saturday.

Miller, who has season-best times of 10.98 and 21.98 over the 100 and 200m, respectively, was a heavy favourite to win the half-lap sprint. However, she pulled up during the second of two heats won by the USA’s Lynna Irby in 22.52.

Coach Brauman, however, said the athlete felt some tightness, “nothing major,” he said.

Miller-Uibo, the 2016 Olympic 400m champion, had been unbeaten over the 200m for the past two seasons during which she ran a personal best 21.74 run in Zurich on August 29, 2019. Her only loss over the 400m came in October last year at the 2019 World Championships in Doha where she ran a personal best 48.37 only to lose to Bahrain’s Salwa Eid Nasser who ran 48.14, the third-fastest time in history.

Elaine Thompson-Herah and Julian Forte were among the winners Saturday at the Velocity Fest 7 meeting at the National Stadium in Kingston.

Megan Tapper clocked a season-best time in the 100m hurdles on Saturday at the Drake Blue Oval Showcase where Bahamian star Shaunae Miller-Uibo failed to finish the 200m won the USA’s Lynna Irby.

Tapper, running in the second of two heats, clocked 12.96 while finishing behind Tiffany Porter, who also had a season-best 12.90 to win the heat. Meanwhile, heat-one winner Payton Chadwick was third overall with her time of 12.97s.

The 26-year-old Jamaican was elated at the time.

“Finally! A race to call home about,” she posted on Instagram. “The last one was definitely the best one.”

Heading into the meet, many would have been looking forward to Miller-Uibo’s run in the 200m. Unbeaten over the 200m for the past two seasons, the towering Bahamian sprinter boasts season-best times of 10.98 and 21.98 over the 100m and 200m, respectively, set in Clermont in July.

However, any chance of her going faster was dashed when she failed to complete the second of two 200m heats. Winner of the heat, the USA’s Lynna Irby, crossed the line first and was the overall winner in 22.52.

Her compatriot Kyra Jefferson, finished second in 22.69, a time good enough for second overall. Miller-Uibo’s compatriot, Tynia Gaither, finished third in the heat in 23.08, however, her time saw her finish fourth overall behind the USA’s Shakima Wimbley, who won the opening heat in 23.07.

In the men’s 200m Panama’s Alonso Edward clocked 20.69 but was beaten into second place by the USA’s Justin Robinson who clocked 20.67. However, the outright winner was Josephus Lyles who stopped the clock in 20.32 to win the first of the two heats.

His time meant Edwards finished third overall.

Bahamian superstar, Olympic gold-medalist Shaunae Miller-Uibo will be among the headliners at the Drake Blue Oval Showcase at Drake Stadium in California on Saturday.

An estimated 80 world-class track and field athletes including Tianna Bartoletta are set to compete in 11 events before empty seats inside the stadium.

Miller, who ran a personal best 10.98 in the 100m this season will compete in the 200m at the meet that will also have World Championships silver medallist Brittany Brown on show along with the likes of 400m hurdler Shamier Little as well as Shakima Wimbley.

Also among the stars down to compete are Jarrion Lawson, Devon Allen, Aleec Harris and veteran Wallace Spearmon. Allen and Harris will face off in the 110m hurdles.