Shaunae Miller celebrates her 400m silver in Beijing
World 400m silver medallist Shaunae Miller has enjoyed a stellar 2015 season. We got the Bahamian sprinter to share some of the things she's learned.
1. It’s okay to ask for help from above
“I have learned through my track career that I cannot do anything without God. I also found out that once I keep him first, I can achieve anything. I proved this during the heats and semis of the 400m in Beijing.
“I experienced an injury earlier at the Diamond League in Monaco which prohibited me from extending my legs properly. I prayed before I ran the heats and my prayer increased before the semis. At this point I knew that God had not only answered my prayers, but was going to come through for me. The proof was after the finals, when I came away with the silver medal.”
Miller recorded a personal best 49.67 in the 400m final in Beijing
2. Coach knows best
“This year I joined a new training camp under the supervision of coach Lance Brauman and coach Gary Evans. It was a bit late in the season, because everyone else in the group had already experienced their off season training. I came into the camp with a positive mindset and to trust whatever my coach advised me to do. I know that they are experienced coaches, who can take me to the next level and beyond.
“Some days the workouts were very hard, but my coaches would remind me how important each workout is. Once I knew my coaches had the confidence in me, it pushed me to do more. As an athlete, I have the utmost confidence and trust in my coaches and based on our coach/athlete relationship, I can say the best is yet to come.”
Despite an injury earlier in the year, the Bahamian improved with every round to take world champs silver
3. Hard work pays off
“I can’t forget where I came from because that is what made me who I am today. I’ve come a long way in my career and I can remember the hard days that brought me to this point. There were days of disappointments and neglect but through it all I remained steadfast and committed.
“Hard work is necessary. If you don’t work hard, it is difficult for you to get success. I encourage people to continue to work hard because one day it will pay off. Hard work paid off for me throughout this track season. I set a PB and a national record of 22.14 for the 200m and a PB of 49.67 for the 400m.”
