Anthonique Strachan, Charisma Taylor, Ken Mullings, LaQuan Nairn and Alonzo Russell, are the others that will fly the Bahamian flag at the event scheduled for March 1-3.
Charlton is overwhelmingly favoured for the gold, given her smashing world record run of 7.67 seconds during the 116th running of the Millrose Games at the Nike Track and Field Center in New York City, last Sunday.
In addition to Charlton’s pursuit of global gold, Strachan will go after a medal in the women’s 60m, Taylor will contest two events – the women’s triple jump and she will join Charlton in the hurdles. Mullings will try his hand in the men’s indoor heptathlon, with Nairn set to soar in the men’s long jump, while Russell will compete in the men’s 400m.
Veteran high jumper Donald Thomas could be added to the team, pending an invitation from World Athletics.
Demarius Cash, who will serve as head coach/manager of a major senior team for the first time, has high expectations.
“Based on what Devynne was able to do on Sunday, a lot of the athletes are excited and ready to go. There is nothing like when one of your colleagues does something special like this and running a world record is as exciting as it comes in track and field,” Cash said.
“What Devynne did, speaks volumes for where we are in track and field as a nation. This is a very exciting time for us, and I believe Bahamians will be pleased by the performances of these athletes at the world indoors. I believe we could bring home some hardware,” he added.
Russell, who was a part of the silver medal winning 4x400m relay team at the 2016 Championships, and Charlton, who won silver in the women’s 60m hurdles in Belgrade, two years ago, are the only World Indoor medallists on the team.
However, Charlton is not the only world leader on the team. Mullings has a world leading mark of 6,340 points in the indoor heptathlon. He scored that national record at the Illini Challenge at the University of Illinois in Champaign, in January.
“This would be the first time that we would have had an athlete going into the World Indoor Championships as the world leader in the multi events. This is great for Ken and it’s going to be a good challenge for him. I believe he will step up to the plate and do well,” said Cash.
The team will no doubt be led by Charlton though. Cash said she appears to be in the right frame of mind, and shape, to win gold this time around.
“She’s a special athlete and I believe there is a lot more in store for her this season. From the management side, I’m ready for the challenge. I’m here to work for the athletes and make sure they are prepared for everything.
“I believe this is going to be a high intensity meet for The Bahamas. I just want to thank the BAAA, and the executive team of the BAAA, for the opportunity to serve as head coach and manager. I’m looking forward to the challenge,” Cash ended.
Gardiner and Charlton are among the 20 athletes that will represent The Bahamas at the global multi-sport showpiece, which is currently under way and is scheduled to end on August 11.
Track and field and swimming are the two disciplines that the Bahamian contingent will contest at the Games.
Quartermiler Shaunae Miller-Uibo, high jumper Donald Thomas, who is making his fifth Olympic appearance, NCAA and national record holder in the javelin Rhema Otabor, decathlete Ken Mullings, and Charisma Taylor, who contests the triple jump and the 100m hurdles, are also on the team.
Rhaniska Gibbs and Lamar Taylor will represent the Bahamas in the pool.
Meanwhile, quartermiler Lacarthea Cooper finished third in the women’s 400m at the BAAA’s Nationals in 53.38 seconds behind second place finisher Quincy Penn in 53.35 seconds, but did not make the team.
However, Shania Adderley finished fifth in 54.50 seconds and was named to the Olympic team for her contributions as a member of the 4x400m mixed relay team at the World Relays.
After the 100m, long jump and shot put, Victor occupies sixth overall with a total of 2724 points, while Mullings is six positions lower in 12th with 2592 points.
Germany’s Leo Neugebauer (2876), Canada’s Damian Warner (2798) and Ayden Owens-Delerme (2786) of Puerto Rico occupy the medal positions so far.
Victor finished sixth in heat three of the 100m in 10.56 seconds, which earned him 961 points, while Mullings seventh-place finish in 10.60 seconds earned him 952 points.
For the long jump event, Victor ended eighth in group B with a leap of 7.48m, adding 930 points to his total, while Mullings cut the sand at 7.36m and secured 900 points for his 10th place finish.
In the shot-put event, Victor demonstrated his athleticism by throwing 15.71m. He tallied 833 points for his fourth-place finish, while Mullings received 740 points for his 14.19m-throw which was good enough for 11th.
The gruelling two-day 10-discipline event continues in the evening session, scheduled to begin at 11:00am Jamaica time, with the high jump next in the athletes’ sight as they seek to improve up the standings.
The thrilling decathlon competition saw Norway’s Markus Rooth land gold, while Germany’s Leo Neugebauer secured silver.
Victor delivered outstanding achievements in the 10 events. He set a season’s best in the high jump, clearing 2.02 metres to finish third and receive 822 points.
He then clocked 47.84s in heat two of the 400m race, which earned him 917 points, with another 896 points coming by way of a third-place finish in the 110m hurdles. His time was 14.62s.
The 31-year-old Grenadian then produced an excellent performance in the discus throw, setting an Olympic Decathlon Best of 53.91m, which is when he actually ascended into a medal position by virtue of that 952 points. He then added 880 points and 862 points from the pole vault and javelin, where he cleared 4.90m and threw 68.22m, respectively.
Victor then closed with a 4:43.53-clocking in the 1,500m race, adding 658 points to his final score.
Meanwhile, Bahamian Ken Mullings also delivered a commendable performance in the decathlon, finishing 13th with 8226 points.
Mullings tied Victor's high jump mark of 2.02m, gaining 822 points. He established a season best of 49.43s in the 400m for fourth, which earned him 841 points.
In the 110m hurdles, Mullings clocked 13.70s for another 1014 points, with a discus personal best of 46.07m adding a further 789 points.
Mullings continued his impressive performance in the pole vault, clearing 4.80m for 849 points, and he had another 735 points from the javelin, where he threw 59.83m.
The 27-year-old then ended with a 4:55.84-clocking in the 1500m to add 584 points to his final tally.
McLeod, who just missed a medal at last year’s World Athletic Championships in Budapest, cut the sand at a new season’s best 8.21m. He placed behind Greece’s World Champion Miltiadis Tentoglou and Italy’s Mattia Furlani, who both leapt to a mark of 8.22m.
Another Jamaican, Tajay Gayle was sixth at 7.89m, while LaQuan Nairn of the Bahamas was 15th at 7.59m.
McLeod's medal is Jamaica's second at the Championship, adding to Ackeem Blake's bronze won in the men's 60m final on Friday.
On the track, St Lucia’s in-form sprinter Julien Alfred, Bahamian Anthonique Strachan, Barbadian Tristan Evelyn, as well as Jamaicans Briana Williams and Shashalee Forbes, all progressed to the women’s 60m semi-finals, after contrasting performances in their respective heats.
Alfred, 22, comfortably won her heat in 7.02s and headlines the qualifiers, as Strachan (7.24s), Williams (7.22s) and Forbes (7.17s), all placed second in their heats, while Evelyn (7.17s) was third in heat four.
Beyonce Defreitas (7.44s) of British Virgin Islands, and Trinidad and Tobago’s Michelle-Lee Ahye, despite a season’s best 7.26s, failed to progress, as both placed fifth in their heats.
The women’s 60m semi-final and final is scheduled for Saturday’s evening session.
Elsewhere on the track, Jamaica’s Damion Thomas and Tyler Mason, both failed to progress in the men’s 60m hurdles, after both placed sixth in their respective heats in 7.73s and 7.86s.
Jamaica’s Natoya Goule-Toppin also missed out on a spot in the women’s 800m final, following a sixth-place finish in her semi-final race. Goule-Toppin stopped the clock in 2:01.41.
Meanwhile, Ken Mullings of the Bahamas, started the men’s Heptathlon on a positive note, as he placed third in his heat of the 60m dash in a personal best 6.83s.
Mullings also registered a new lifetime best of 7.69m when he placed fifth in the long jump, and that was followed by a heave of 14.49m in the shot pot. By virtue of those performances, the 26-year-old currently occupies third position on 2684 points, behind Switzerland’s Simon Ehammer (2800 points) and Estonia’s Johannes Erm (2739 points).
They still have the high jump, 60m hurdles, pole vault and 1,000m to come.
