16-year-old Shaunae Miller of the Bahamas wins the women's 400m title (© Getty Images)
Shaunae Miller was expected to challenge for a medal in the women’s 400m at the World Junior Championship here in Moncton, Canada and while she was unbeaten all season, it was thought the gold might just be out of the reach of the 16 year-old.
Seems someone forgot to tell her that it was not her time to win her first global gold medal as on Thursday she held off World Leader Margaret Etim of Nigeria to win in 52.52 seconds in what to many would be a surprise result.
Her win was the Bahamas’ first medal of the championships and some are hoping it won’t be the last either.
While she came into the championships ranked number three in the world, it was the Nigerian who came in with six of the top seven times in the world including three runs under 52 seconds who captured the spotlight.
Miller who is from family of runners and whose grand uncle Leslie Miller represented the Bahamas in the tough 400m/800m double at the 1968 Olympic Games has however been tested this season, winning the senior championships in the Bahamas.
She also won at the CARIFTA Games where she set the National Junior Record as well as Central American and Caribbean juniors.
Shaunae, a student at St Augustine College, has been running track seriously for just four years under the guidance of Dianne Woodside at the Monica Athletics Club.
And while her season has been a long one, it is not quite over as she will compete at the Youth Olympics in Malaysia in August where she is expected to continue piling up titles and records.
Paul Reid for the IAAF
