The historic achievements on the track for Bahamian sprint hurdler Devynne Charlton in the 2024 season need more attention and recognition according to President of the Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations (BAAA), Drumeco Archer.

The 28-year-old broke Susanna Kallur’s 16-year-old 60m hurdles world record of 7.68 when she ran 7.67 to win at the Millrose Games in New York on February 11.

Charlton then broke her own world record with a 7.65 effort to win gold at the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow, Scotland in March, her first major title and a step up from her silver medal at the 2022 World Indoor Championships in Belgrade, Serbia.

“Today, her success and her achievements are still understated,” Archer said on the latest episode of the Out D’ Blocks podcast on the SportsMax TV YouTube channel.

“She is the best 60m hurdler in the world and that’s something that goes into the history books and can never be taken away from her,” Archer added.

Charlton also had some good results outdoors in the 100m hurdles last season, producing wins at the Racers Grand Prix (12.64) on June 1 and the New York City Grand Prix (12.56) on June 9.

She also had runner-up finishes at the Diamond League meetings in Xiamen (12.49) and Shanghai (12.64) on April 20 and 27, respectively.

Charlton didn’t have the result she wanted at the Olympic Games in August, however, finishing sixth in the final in 12.56.

Archer says, based on his recent conversations with Charlton, she is keen to begin her preparations for the 2025 season

“I have spoken with Devynne recently and she has indicated that, so long that she has fee that can move at the level that she wants to compete at, she will continue to be back so I’m expecting her at full force,” he said.

“Obviously, next year is a very long season and she is looking forward to championing back to the World Championships and doing well,” Archer added.

President of the Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations, Drumeco Archer, has hit out at the Bahamas Olympic Committee’s decision to deny Lacarthea Cooper a chance to compete at the upcoming Olympic Games in Paris.

Cooper, a student at New Mexico Junior College, was originally a part of the BAAA’s recommended list of athletes to go to Paris, according to Archer, but was removed by the BOC in favor of Shania Adderley.

The 20-year-old Cooper placed third in the 400m final at the Bahamian National Championships in Nassau on June 28 while Adderley, 16, finished fifth.

The rationale given by BOC President, Romell Knowles, at the team’s naming ceremony on Wednesday was that Adderley was a member of the country’s Mixed 4x400m relay team that qualified for the Olympics through the IAAF World Relays in May.

For Cooper, this is her second time being denied an opportunity to compete on the sport’s highest stage.

She finished third in the 200m at the Bahamian Championships back in 2021 but missed out on an Olympic berth due to COVID-19.

“Lacarthea, who is no stranger to our sport and who placed third at in the nationals, has demonstrated consistent excellence and was previously denied the opportunity to compete in the 2021 Olympics due to Covid-19,” Archer said in a statement on Thursday.

“Denying her a second opportunity, undeservedly, would be unfair and contrary to our selection principles. Despite our efforts to engage in discussions with the BOC and to seek common ground, decisions were made without our full agreement,” he added.

Cooper has since been invited to travel with the team but will not compete.

Olympic champions Steven Gardiner and Shaunae Miller-Uibo were the standout names as the Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations (BAAA) has officially confirmed its 27-member team for the World Athletics Relays set for May 4 and 5 at the refurbished Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium.

The Bahamas is expected to compete in the Men’s and Women’s 4x100m Relays, the Men’s 4x400m Relay and the Mixed 4x400m Relay.

Newly crowned World Indoor 60m champion and record holder Devynne Charlton was named in a Women’s 4x100m Relay pool which also included Camille Rutherford, Printassia Johnson, Jamiah Nabbie, Shayann Demeritte, Nia Richards, Charisma Taylor and Pedrya Seymour.

The Men’s 4x100m Relay pool consists of Samson Colebrooke, Samalie Farrington, Ian Kerr, Carlos Brown, Deedro Clarke, Blake Bartlett, Jeremiah Adderley and Warren Fraser.

The Men’s 4x400m Relay team includes Gardiner, Alonzo Russell, Wendell Miller, Zion Shepard, Deedro Clarke, Zion Miller, Lhevinne Joseph and Shakeem Hall-Smith. Finally,

The Mixed 4x400m Relay team for The Bahamas will consist of Miller-Ubio, Anthonique Strachan, Lacarthea Cooper, Robynn Rolle-Curry, Steven Gardiner, Alonzo Russell, Wendell Miller and Zion Shepherd.

The Bahamas hosted the World Athletics Relays in 2014, 2015 and 2017.

Veteran sports advocate, broadcaster and former BAAA (Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations) president Alpheus Finlayson has died, aged 76, just weeks after the death of his wife, Dawn.

Finlayson served as co-captain of the St John’s University Track Team, President of the Pioneer’s Sporting Club, and of the Bahamas Amateur Athletic Association from 1989 to 1997.

He was also elected Vice President of the Central American Central American and Caribbean Athletic Confederation as well as Vice President of the North American, Central American, and Caribbean Area Athletic Associations.

It was during Finlayson’s administration of the Bahamas Amateur Athletic Association in 1992 that the first Bahamian Olympic medal in Track & Field was won, and in 1995 and 1997 the first three World Championship medals were won.

Finlayson, affectionately nicknamed “Hawk,” made history when he became the first Bahamian elected to the 27-member Council of the IAAF, the World governing body of Track & Field.

He also held the distinction of being the only Bahamian to attend every IAAF World Championships, from Helsinki in 1983 to London in 2017.

His book From Vancouver to Athens: Finlayson Fifty Years of Bahamian International Track & Field Competition is a best-seller.

He also authored weekly columns on “Track World” from 1980 to 1986 in The Tribune and produced a television show on ZNS called Track World with Alpheus Finlayson. Finlayson also wrote international newsletters with the same name.

He also hosted the weekly radio show called Track World with Alpheus Finlayson on Guardian Radio 96.9 FM.

Bahamian 400m World Champion, Steve Gardner, has expressed frustration with recent statements made by the Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations that suggested he had made himself unavailable for the World Athletics Relays.

Earlier this week, reports had claimed that a key reason for the country’s withdrawal from the World Relays was the unavailability of several athletes, included top stars Gardiner and Shaunae Miller-Uibo.

The quarter-miler has, however, insisted that things were quite the opposite and he had indeed made himself available to compete at the event.

“Each time there are relays to run, my name, my image, and my reputation gets dragged through the mud. I want to set the record straight,” Gardiner told The Bahamas Tribune.

“Ever since my first competition for the senior team it has been one conflict after another and my name is always brought up,” he added.

“My management did indicate to the BAAA my availability to compete at the 2021 World Relays.”

Gardiner and Miller-Uibo were part of a triumphant 4x400m mixed relays team at the 2017 Games, which was held in the Bahamas.

‘…I did indicate personally and through my management company that I was available to compete.”

 The Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations (BAAA) has confirmed that it will not send a team to World Athletic Relays, set to take place in Chorzow, Poland, next month.

According to reports, the association like many has been affected adversely by the COVID-19 pandemic and was forced to give up on having a team at the event due to a lack of athletes able to participate.

Bahamian superstars Shaunae Miller-Uibo and Steven Gardiner, through their representatives, indicated that they would not be willing to travel outside of the United States due to ongoing coronavirus pandemic and travel protocols.

“We didn’t have athletes who are available to compete,” President of the BAAA Drumeco Archer told The Bahamas Tribune.

“Shaunae (Miller-Uibo) and Steven (Gardiner) camp indicated that they have decided not to travel outside of the US because of COVID-19,” he added.

“And a lot of our elite athletes are still in university and college, who are not going to be released from their duties. So, we thought it would be prudent for us not just to take a team for the team’s sake. If we’re going to take a team, we will take a team that will have an impact.”

Earlier this week, another top Caribbean sprint nation, Jamaica, announced that it would not participate in the event due to the difficulty of travel and COVID-19 restrictions.

The Bahamas were hosts to the first three editions of the tournament.