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Printassia advances

By BRENT STUBBS Chief Sports Editor bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

TOKYO, Japan — It has been a great transitional year for Printassia Johnson as she switched from running the shorter sprints to concentrating solely on the 400 metres.

The 31-year-old made her first senior team to compete in an individual event at the 20th World Championships where she proved that she “belongs,” advancing to the semifinals of the women’s 400 metres on Sunday at the Japan National Stadium.

As one of two representatives in the event, in the absence of Shaunae MillerUibo who didn’t make The Bahamas’ 15-member team, Johnson earned one

of the six fastest losers spots for Tuesday’s semifinal, running a lifetime best of 50.53 seconds. She had to do it running blind in “no man’s land” in lane nine. Having composed herself over the first 200, Johnson had to storm back on the home stretch to make it to the next round. Jamaica’s Nickisha Pryce, in lane six, took the tape in 49.91.

Johnson’s compatriot, Javonya Valcourt, who has had a great collegiate season this year as well, didn’t advance after she was seventh in her heat in 52.00.

While Johnson was placed 14th overall, Valcourt ended up 36th out of a field of 51 competitors.

TOKYO, Japan — Here’s a look at how The Bahamas’ 15-member team has fared so far at the 20th World Championships over the first two days of competition.

Women’s 100m - Anthaya Charlton advanced to the semifinals with fifth in heat three in the heats in 11.18 seconds for 19th overall. She was sixth in heat two of the semifinals in 11.14 seconds for 14th overall.

- Camille Rutherford fifth in heat four of the heats in 11.40 seconds for 35th overall.

Women’s 100m hurdles

- Denisha Cartwright seventh in heat one in 13.50 for 40th overall.

“It feels good, honestly. I just wanted to run my race,” said Johnson. “I didn’t run my race at NACAC. I didn’t care what

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PRINTASSIA Johnson in action in the women’s 400 metre heats during the 20th World Outdoor Championships in Tokyo, Japan.

Devynne into 100mH semi-finals

By BRENT STUBBS Chief Sports Editor bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

TOKYO, Japan — Devynne Charlton likes her chances for a shot at the finals of the women’s 100 metre hurdles at the 20th World Championships tonight. On day two of the championships on Sunday at the Japan National Stadium, the Bahamian national record holder clocked

12.69 seconds for second place behind world record holder Tobi Amusan from Nigeria in 12.53.

Charlton, the elder stateswoman on the 15-member team for The Bahamas at age 29, was the only one of three Bahamians competing in the event to advance to the semis.

“I’m just trying to make it to the final.

“That’s my main goal,” insisted Charlton, who got off to a good start and was

able to see Amusan on the side of her to stay in the race. Unfortunately, things didn’t work out for the other two Bahamians in the field, who competed on the same platform together for the second consecutive year as they did at the Olympic Games in Paris, France, last year.

Female team captain Charisma Taylor just

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- Charisma Taylor sixth in heat four in 12.96 for 24th overall.

- Devynne Charlton advanced to the semifinals with second place in heat six in 12.69 for ninth overall.

Women’s 400m - Printassia Johnson advanced to the semifinal with her fourth place in heat four in a personal best of 50.53 for 14th overall.

- Javonya Valcourt seventh in heat three in the preliminaries in 52.00 for seventh place for 36th overall.

Men’s 100m - Terrence Jones advanced to the semifinals with third in heat three in 10.16 for 19th overall.

- Terrence Jones sixth in heat two of the semifinals in 10.10 for 16th overall.

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SPRINTER TERRENCE JONES REFLECTS ON HIS PERFORMANCE

By BRENT STUBBS Chief Sports Editor

TOKYO, Japan — Terrence Jones was just ecstatic that he was able to match up against the best of the world and made it to the semifinals of the men’s 100 metres at the 20th World Championships. The 22-year-old Grand Bahamian native clocked 10.10 seconds for sixth place in the second of three heats of the semifinals on Sunday at the Japan National Stadium that was won by American Kenny Bednarek in the round’s leading time of 9.86.

Jones, however, ended up 16th overall and was denied a spot in the final. But he noted that it’s all a part of the process he has to ensure now that he’s competing on the international scene as a professional athlete.

“It wasn’t my best. I got a lot more to offer,” Jones said. “But I thank God for coming this far. It is what it is.”

Under the circumstances, Jones said he’s going to continue to put his faith and trust in God to take him to where he needs to be in the future. “It came down to not trusting my own steps, but trusting the path that Jesus laid out for me,” he insisted. “Of course, it’s tough. I’m

human, but I’m trying to deal with the adversities. “I just have to believe that there is something higher for me and there is more to come. So I’m just trusting in that.” Looking back, Jones said he was just thrilled to be on the stage with some of the best athletes in the world. “I’m still a rookie in the sport at the pro level, so I’m trying to build on what I can and get my confidence up and just go from there.” In his race, running out of lane eight, Jones managed to get out with the field,

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Terrence Jones: ‘It wasn’t my best. I got a lot more to offer’

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but while the contenders in the middle started to pull away, he was able to surge back in the winding metres, but it was a bit too late. “That was my first time advancing to the semifinals so all praise to God for that,” he stated. “It’s always something to take away from it. It’s not always a loss, but what can I learn from it, or what God is teaching me from this championship.”

The quiet and resolute Jones said he will take the time to “pray a little bit” as he reflects on his trip to Tokyo and to see “what I can learn from it and what I can do better for the next time and go on from there.”

Devynne Charlton likes her chances for a shot at the finals of the 100 metre hurdles

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missed the cut for the six fastest losers in her time of 12.96 for 24th place overall, while Denisha Cartwright was 40th out of a field of 44 in 13.50.

“Anything could happen. This is what the championship is all about,” said Charlton to Taylor about not getting her spot to join her in the final.

And while she clinched her spot, Charlton congratulated her 22-year-old younger sister Anthaya Charlton, who advanced

to the semi-final of the women’s 100m on day one of the championships on Saturday.

“A little bit of nerves she had going on,” said Devynne about Anthaya. “Once she shakes that off, she will be alright.” As for her advancement in the hurdles, Charlton said it’s always good to have her personal coach in attendance to go over the race before the semis.

He is none other than Bahamian Orlando “Lonnie” Greene, who coaches both Charlton and

American Masai Russell at the University of Kentucky. The semi-finals will be an interesting one today on day three of the championships as Charlton will run out of lane seven in the last of the three semis. This time, she will go head-to-head with Russell next to her in lane six with defending champion Danielle Williams from Jamaica in lane five.

The first two finishers will automatically qualify and the final two spots will be occupied by the next two fastest losers.

After his qualifying round in the heats on day one on Saturday, he said he was delighted to be able to advance through the round in his first championship.

“So it’s just a blessing from God to be able to do that,” he stated. “It’s been a rough year as a pro, so to come out here at the biggest meet of the year and do that is a good start for the competition.”

At the start of his heat, Jone said he felt everybody just slipping away from him, but he just did what his coach told him to do. “I failed the first part, but I knew in the second part, I could come back and gain some ground, so I just trusted myself and just trusted all that my

coach was telling me and I was able to pull through.”

And although he had to face American Noah Lyles in the heat, Jones said it wasn’t anything new.

“It’s not my first time running against him, so I kind of got used to the pros and cons of it,” he lamented.

“It’s a blessing and a curse because he’s a good dude to run against and that also brings some nerves, no matter who you are, but it’s a blessing because competition like that always pushes you to be the best, so I’m grateful for it.”

The Texas Tech graduate has not ran close to his lifetime best of 9.91 from when he tied the Bahamian national record

with Derrick Atkins, who accomplished the feat at the 2007 championships in Osaka, Japan, with the silver medal behind American gold medallist Tyson Gay and Jamaican Asafa Powell. He’s had to endure some injuries and make the adjustment from college to the pros, but the Grand Bahamian sprinter said he anticipates that the door will be opened to a lot faster times in the future.

And while he’s known more as a 200 metre specialist, the tall and slender Jones said he was just excited that he was able to feed off that endurance with his tall slender height as he runs the shorter distance.

PRINTASSIA JOHNSON ADVANCES TO 400M SEMIS

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happened. Once I ran my race, I knew I was going to run well.

“I’m happy that I qualified. I’m happy that I made it to the semis. One race at a time. I’m very happy with the PB. I wanted to leave Life University with the school record. I got that. I am so happy.”

Johnson, who was trained by former Bahamian sprinter Dominic Demeritte where he’s the head coach at Life University, said she envisioned one day being at this stage and now she’s enjoying every moment of it.

“I’m really just having fun. When I was on the track, I was smiling because I knew I felt good. I know I’m moving very, very fast, so the main thing was for me not to run my first 200 too fast. Once I didn’t run the first 200m fast, I knew I had the strength to bring it home.”

On Tuesday, Johnson will run out of lane three in the second of three heats, featuring Salwa Eid Naser of Bahrain in lane five as she negotiates one of the eight spots into the final, scheduled for Thursday, September 18.

“I don’t want to put any expectations on myself. Every race is a final for me,” Johnson said.

Although she didn’t advance, Valcourt complimented Johnson for booking her ticket to the next round. She noted that it was the slowest race she’s ran all year, so she wasn’t pleased with her effort.

“I’m still glad that I had the opportunity to compete at this high level

championship,” she said.

“I’m pretty sure that Printassia made it, so I am glad one of us advanced.” Going into her race, Valcourt said she felt really good, but when she stepped out on the track, she allowed the moment to get the better of her.

She ran out of lane five, right next to world 400m record holder Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone in lane six, who made the switch over to the 400m. Valcourt attempted to go with her at the start, but as she came off the final curve, she started to slowly fade away. In preparation for her year this past season at the University of Tennessee, Valcourt said she started training right after she competed on the mixed 4 x 400m relay team at the Olympic Games last year in Paris, France, so she really didn’t have much time to recuperate.

“That was not the reason I competed the way I did today,” she insisted. “I felt great. I had great practice coming into it. So I don’t think that was the reason.” Valcourt, 20, said she will just take the rest of her time here, supporting and cheering on the rest of Team Bahamas as they compete through the remainder of the championships on Sunday.

Sprinter Camille Rutherford eliminated

By BRENT STUBBS Chief Sports Editor bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

TOKYO, Japan —

She’s had a sizzling season becoming the seventh Bahamian female sprinter to dip under the 11-second barrier in the 100 metres.

But with that achievement added to her résumé, Camille Rutherford would have liked to go further than the first round of her signature event at the 20th World (Outdoor) Championships over the weekend.

In the fourth of seven heats on Saturday at the Tokyo National Stadium, Rutherford clocked 11.40 for fifth place behind the 10.93 posted by the eventual winner Julien Alfred, Saint Lucia’s first Olympic gold medallist in both the 100 and 200m in Paris, France, last year.

Rutherford, at the time of her interview in the mixed zone, was hoping that she would have gotten into the semifinal to redeem herself, but ended up 35th out of a field of 60 competitors and without one of the 24 qualifying spots.

“I was just trying to execute and staying down in the blocks and trying to finish strong,” Rutherford said. “That was really it.”

Rutherford, 23, said she felt the jitterbugs when she stepped into the 68,000-seat arena for her debut at the

biggest individual global meet in track and field.

“It was a great energy, a lot of people,” she reflected.

“It was a lot of energy, but a lot to take in.”

With her appearance at the championships now over and done with, Rutherford said she’s

looking forward to returning to the grandish stage in the future as she soaks in all of her experience here in Tokyo.

“To stay locked in and don’t worry about who is next to you and just run and execute,” was how Rutherford summed up what she

will take away from the championships. She noted, however, that this season she managed to break some barriers, including running 10.96, which placed her tied for sixth with Eldece Clarke in the echelon of female sprinting in the country. “It was a pretty good year. I definitely broke some barriers that I wasn’t expecting to break, so I’m happy, very thankful,” she said.

But Rutherford said it was great to have each other competing in the same event at the championships.

All season long, she was the second fastest Bahamian behind Anthaya Charlton, who did advance out of the heats before her to get into the semifinal.

“We were saying good luck to each other in the call room and we were really pumping each other up,” Rutherford said. “I’m really happy that she did well.”

HURDLER CHARISMA TAYLOR ‘KNOCKED OUT BY ONE SPOT’

By BRENT STUBBS Chief Sports Editor bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

TOKYO, Japan — It was a painful time for Charisma Taylor as she watched her name slip off the chart for one of the six fastest loser qualifying spots for the women’s 100 metres hurdles semifinals.

Having done her job with a sixth-place finish in the fourth of six heats in a time of 12.96, Taylor just missed the cut as the final spot went to Luca Kozak of Hungary in the same time, but by a fraction.

Visibly upset as she spoke to the media in the mixed zone in the Japan National Stadium, the 26-year-old Taylor said it hurt so much because she knows what she’s capable of doing.

“I put everything into this season, literally everything and to see it end like that with a time that obviously was not one of my greatest, it’s very hard to see and to get knocked out by one spot,” said Taylor, who admitted that she ran that time in practice.

“That’s even more of a heart breaker. I may be down right now, but not knocked out. I continue to thank God because this has been an eye-opening year for me, obviously one of the greatest seasons of my life mentally, spiritually. I may be crying now, but I’m okay.”

During her race, Taylor struggled as she was out of

WNBA

the blocks and was unable to catch the pack ahead of her, led by Jamaica’s Ackera Nugent in 12.54, followed by Ditaji Kambundji of Switzerland in 12.59 and Maayke Tjin A-Lim, the third automatic qualifier in 12.71.

As she embarked on her first professional season after she completed her college career at the University of Tennessee, Taylor said she has changed coaches and is now working with John Coghlan - the coach of Puerto Rico’s female hurdler Jasmine CamachoQuinn - at their training site in Jacksonville, Florida.

“From February to now, I’ve been training under a new coach under a new system,” she stated. “If anyone knows, the technicality of the event is very technical, so to change in the middle of the indoor season was a big risk.

“But it paid off. It definitely paid off. It got me here. I didn’t do what I needed to do today, but the money and the time that I spent, I’m not sponsored, but I want to thank the people who got me here.”

She mentioned Paul Doyle, her manager, her parents Dewey and Patrice Taylor, who made the trip here to watch her compete, her sponsor TaylorMade Limemade and her family and church members at home.

“It’s hard for me right now,” she stated. “I may be down, but I’m not out.”

With her season now over, Taylor said she just wants to relax and reflect on her performance and where she will take it from here. She noted that there are still a lot of things she wants to accomplish, not

just in the hurdles but the triple jump as well.

The bald-headed Taylor, who suffers from the sickness alopecia, which has caused her to lose her hair, noted that she has not given up on the triple jump

because she still has a lot to accomplish in it. But she noted that she’s excited about what she’s doing in the hurdles, even though her race didn’t show it. As she bows out, Taylor wished Charlton all the

PLAYOFFS: JONQUEL AND LIBERTY BEAT MERCURY

PHOENIX (AP) — Natasha Cloud scored 23 points, Breanna Stewart added 18 before hurting her knee in overtime and the New York Liberty beat the Phoenix Mercury 76-69 yesterday in Game 1 of their best-of-three first-round playoff series.

New York will advance to the semifinals with a win in Game 2 on Wednesday in New York.

Jonquel Jones contributed seven points, 12 rebounds and two assists. Stewart fell to the the ground and grabbed at her

left knee after making a layup with 3:01 to play in overtime. She stayed in the game and missed the free throw, trying to play through the injury. She left the game about a minute later and didn’t return. New York coach Sandy Brondello had no update on Stewart’s injury after the game. The New York star had a bone bruise in her other knee in late July that forced her to miss about a month of the season. Kahleah Copper led the Mercury with 15 points and Alyssa Thomas had

14 points, nine rebounds and eight assists. DeWanna Bonner added 12 points. Cloud hit a 3-pointer to open the OT and spark an 8-0 run that made it 73-65 with 1:51 left. Phoenix got within four, but Leonie Fiebich, who finished with 10 points, hit a huge 3-pointer to seal the win. Cloud, who played in Phoenix last season, made back-to-back layups to give the Liberty a two-point lead with 4:17 left in the fourth quarter. Copper answered with two free throws and, after a turnover by Sabrina

Ionescu, Thomas dropped a no-look pass to Copper for a wide-open layup that gave the Mercury a 65-63 lead with 1:44 remaining. Stewart then made a tough basket in the lane 13 seconds later that eventually forced overtime.

The Liberty, who averaged 13.8 turnovers in the regular season, finished with 20 turnovers — one shy of their season high — which included 14 after halftime. The Mercury made 25 of 77 (33%) from the field and shot 23% (6 of 26) from 3-point range.

best. “Devynne knows I’m on her team all the way,” Taylor said.

“I want Devynne to be on that podium.” She turned to Charlton and congratulated her with a hug.

Miami Dolphins fall to 0-2

By TIM REYNOLDS AP Sports Writer

MIAMI GARDENS, Florida

(AP) — For the first time since 2020, the Miami Dolphins are 0-2. And bad might soon become worse.

The Dolphins arrived for work yesterday with a banner plane circling their stadium, paid for by a group of fans who were calling for the firings of embattled coach

Mike McDaniel and general manager Chris Grier. Tickets, especially for a Dolphins home opener, were being sold on the secondary market for the stunningly low price of around $30 before the game.

The Dolphins were booed by fans after their first possession. They gave up a kickoff return touchdown to lose the lead late, then saw De’Von Achane step out of bounds on what nearly was

a go-ahead score with about a minute left. Add it all up, and it was another loss. Patriots 33, Dolphins 27 was the final, and a trip to Buffalo for a Thursday night game awaits Miami. The crossroads of a season, even with almost all of the season remaining, might have arrived for the Dolphins.

The Patriots had lost four straight entering Sunday against

the Dolphins and eight of the last nine matchups between the teams. And it seemed like Miami was about to extend that run over its AFC East rival after Malik Washington bounced off a tackle, spun free and returned a punt 74 yards for a go-ahead touchdown with 7:39 left.

The lead lasted 12 seconds.

Antonio Gibson ran back the ensuing kickoff 90 yards to put

the Patriots right back on top with a score of 30-27. Andy Borregales — back in the stadium where he kicked for the Miami Hurricanes in college — added a 53-yard field goal to push New England’s lead to six, and that left the Dolphins with one final chance.

Tua Tagovailoa got sacked on fourth-and-12 from the Patriots 28 on the final Miami offensive snap, ending whatever hope remained.

Eagles’ defence shines in Super Bowl rematch as Philly beats Kansas City 20-17 at Arrowhead Stadium

By DAVE SKRETTA AP Sports Writer

KANSAS CITY, Mo.

(AP) — Jalen Hurts and Saquon Barkley had touchdown runs, and Andrew Mukuba came up with a big fourth-quarter interception of Patrick Mahomes, helping the Eagles to a 20-17 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs yesterday in a rematch of a Super Bowl that Philadelphia won in a rout.

Hurts threw for just 101 yards and Barkley was held to 88 rushing, but the Eagles (2-0) defence stepped up, carrying them to their seventh straight win and 17th in a span of 18 games. They held Chiefs to 294 yards, stopped them once on fourth down and came away with the only turnover at a pivotal point in the game.

The Eagles have now won three in a row over Kansas City. The Chiefs had won the four matchups before that.

Mahomes had just 187 yards passing, once again struggling to find open playmakers without suspended wide receiver Rashee Rice and injured teammate Xavier Worthy. Mahomes did have 66 yards and a touchdown on the ground, but the two-time MVP didn’t get much help from anyone else as the Chiefs fell to 0-2 for the first time since the 2014 season.

That was coach Andy Reid’s second season in Kansas City and the most recent season it failed to make the playoffs.

Unlike the Super Bowl in February, when the Eagles raced to a 24-0 halftime lead

and added on in the third quarter, the Chiefs came out with some semblance of life on Sunday after a lacklustre season-opening loss to the Chargers in Brazil. Barkley struck first with a 13-yard touchdown run late in the first quarter, but Harrison Butker atoned for an earlier miss with a field goal for Kansas City. The Chiefs quickly got the ball back and Mahomes, with a sudden penchant for lowering his shoulder to

deliver a blow, did that to a couple of defenders before scrambling 13 yards for a go-ahead touchdown.

Jake Elliott hit a 58-yarder before halftime to tie the game for Philadelphia. He added 51-yarder early in the third, after the Chiefs had eschewed their own “tush-push” and gave the ball to Kareem Hunt on fourth-and-1 — and he was promptly stuffed. It remained 13-10 until the fourth quarter. After

Hunt had converted on fourth-and-1 at the Philadelphia 13 to keep a Kansas City drive alive, Mahomes had a pass bounce off Travis Kelce’s hands at the goal line and into those of Mukuba for a pick.

Ten plays and 59 yards later, Hurts pushed forward on fourth-and-goal for a touchdown that extended the lead to 20-10.

By the time Mahomes finally connected with Tyquan Thornton on a

49-yard touchdown heave with 3 minutes to go, most of a crowd that began lining up at the parking lot entrances Saturday night was filing for the exits. The Chiefs were unable to get the ensuing onside kick, and Philadelphia ran out the clock on their first home loss since December 25, 2023. It was the 11th time a Super Bowl rematch has taken place in the regular season. The champion has now won eight of them.

Up

The Eagles return home to play the Rams

Sunday.

The Chiefs visit the Giants on Sunday night.

GOFF THROWS 5 TDS AND LIONS BOUNCE BACK WITH 52-21 WIN OVER BEN JOHNSON-LED BEARS

By LARRY LAGE AP Sports Writer

DETROIT (AP) — The Detroit Lions showed they can pile up points just fine without Ben Johnson calling plays.

Jared Goff threw for 334 yards and matched a career high with five touchdown passes, including a career-high three scores to Amon-Ra St. Brown, to help Detroit bounce back with a 52-21 win over the Chicago Bears yesterday.

The Lions (1-1) dropped the opener at Green Bay and displayed resilience as they have consistently under coach Dan Campbell, avoiding consecutive losses in the regular season over the last 2 1/2 years.

“I knew the guys would respond,” Campbell said. Detroit had more than 500 yards on offence with five passing touchdowns and two scores on the ground for the first time in franchise history, and averaged a team-record 8.8 yards per play with offensive coordinator John Morton calling plays. “This train keeps rolling and it’s

always going to start with the players,” Campbell said. The Bears (0-2) turned the ball over twice in the first half, leading to a 28-14 deficit that was too large to overcome in Johnson’s return to the city where he became an offensive coordinator and one of the NFL’s top coaching candidates.

“It is not demoralising at all,” Johnson insisted. “We have to play better.”

There’s no doubt about that.

Chicago turned it over on downs in each half, had eight penalties and gave up four sacks.

The Lions were three points from matching a franchise record for points in a game in the regular season, and the Bears were three points from tying the most they’ve allowed.

Chicago’s Caleb Williams was 19 of 30 for 207 yards with two touchdowns to Rome Odunze, a 28-yard pass to answer Detroit’s game-opening touchdown and a 6-yard throw to make it 21-14 late in the first half. Williams, selected No. 1 overall last year when the NFL draft was in Detroit,

also threw an ill-advised pass that was intercepted and was taken out midway through the fourth quarter because Johnson said the game was out of reach.

“You always point the finger at yourself before you point a finger at anybody else,” Williams said.

Goff, who completed 23 of 28 passes, also watched the final minutes from the

sideline after helping last year’s highest-scoring team get back on track. Goff got the ball to Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery in the running game and St. Brown and Jameson Williams through the air.

The Lions took advantage of a break late in the first half when 6 seconds were put on the clock after they appeared to run out of time, leading to Johnson waving his team off the field only to have them return for another snap. Goff threw a 4-yard pass to St. Brown to give Detroit a 14-point lead just before halftime and connected with him for scores in the third and fourth quarter. St. Brown finished with nine catches for 115 yards

and also lined up as a running back, gaining 6 yards on a carry to convert a third down. “He’s as good as they get in our league,” Goff said.

“He’s a stud. He does everything in the run game, everything in the pass game. As reliable of a player as I’ve ever thrown to in my life.”

Gibbs and Montgomery combined for 151 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. “They mixed it up really well,” Johnson said softly.

Injuries Bears: Starting DB Kyler Gordon (hamstring) was inactive. Starting LB T.J. Edwards (hamstring) and DB Jaylon Johnson (groin) left the game with injuries.

Lions: DE Marcus Davenport, who had the team’s first sack this season in the third quarter, left the game with ankle and shoulder injuries. Backup TE Shane Zylstra (ankle) was hurt during the game.

Up next Bears: Host Dallas on September 21.

Lions: Play at Baltimore on September 22.

Chisholm Jr’s solo home run moves him to the brink of

‘JAZZ’ AND MAX FRIED HELP YANKEES BEAT RED SOX 5-3 TO STRENGTHEN PLAYOFF POSITION

By JIMMY GOLEN AP Sports Writer

BOSTON (AP) — Max

Fried earned his major league-leading 17th win and Jasrado “Jazz” Chisholm Jr had three hits — including a solo homer that moved him to the brink of the 30-30 club — leading the New York Yankees to a 5-3 victory over the Boston Red Sox on Saturday.

Fried (17-5) permitted two runs and nine hits in 5 1/3 innings. He was working on a shutout before Alex Bregman went deep with two down in the fifth.

Jarren Duran hit a solo homer in the eighth for Boston, but the Yankees added one in the ninth against closer Aroldis Chapman when Aaron Judge singled, took second on a wild pitch and scored on Cody Bellinger’s double.

David Bednar pitched the ninth for his 24th save.

Chisholm Jr had his third straight multihit game and drove in three runs.

He stole his 29th and 30th bases of the season on Friday night and needs one home run to become the third player in franchise history with at least 30 homers and 30 stolen bases.

Alfonso Soriano (2002 and ’03) did it twice.

The Yankees tagged Brayan Bello (11-7) for two runs in the first, sending eight men to the plate and scoring on Bellinger’s sacrifice fly and Chisholm’s infield single.

Key moment

The Red Sox chased Fried in the sixth with three consecutive singles that cut the

Oblique Seville joins Bolt as a Jamaican sprint champion, Jefferson-Wooden wins gold

By EDDIE PELLS AP National Writer

TOKYO (AP) — Usain Bolt went crazy up in a luxury box.

Down below, sprinters in his country’s familiar colours -- black, green and, of course, gold --- were wreaking havoc on the track.

It was a good night for America, too, as the sport’s past and the future collided in back-to-back 100-metre finals at world championships on a steamy Sunday in Tokyo.

Jamaica’s Oblique Seville and Kishane Thompson sent Bolt into celebration mode by combining for a 1-2 finish in the men’s 100-metre sprint, while defending champion Noah Lyles took bronze.

Moments earlier, America’s Melissa Jefferson-Wooden had romped to a win in a women’s sprint that featured a newcomer silver medallist in Jamaica’s Tina Clayton, a fond farewell for the island country’s Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, who finished sixth, and a fifth-place finish from Sha’Carri Richardson, who never found her stride this year.

“It’s a changing of the guard, in a sense,” Jefferson-Wooden said. “You’re going to see some new faces and things like that. It’s great competition.”

With Bolt’s old coach, Seville finally cashes in on his promise

Seville won the men’s race in a career-best 9.77 seconds, fulfilling the promise he’s shown since he made his Olympic debut in this stadium four years ago, but didn’t get out of the semifinals.

He works with Bolt’s old coach, Glen Mills, and though the sprinters don’t have much in common physically -- Seville is 5-foot-7 and Bolt is 6-4 -- they know how to race. And celebrate.

Seville was first out of the starting block, then fell behind, but kept his cool and steadily reeled in Thompson, two lanes to his left, to win the title.

The new champion paraded shirtless around

the track after the race -not exactly Bolt’s “To Di World” pose, but there’s time to improve. The LA Olympics are three years away.

“We are just rewriting history,” said Seville, the first Jamaican man to win the 100 at worlds since Bolt in 2015.

This also marked the first 1-2 finish for Jamaica in the 100 at a major championship since Bolt and Yohan Blake did it at the London Olympics in 2012. Asked about the new crop of Jamaicans before the race, Bolt predicted the 1-2 finish. Less than an hour later, Seville and Thompson went out and proved him right.

“These guys have proven themselves throughout the season,” Bolt said. “The moment is big, it’s just that sometimes it’s a little stressful. So hopefully they can handle that stress and get their moment.”

Jefferson-Wooden leaves no doubt in women’s race

The 24-year-old Jefferson-Wooden turned her race into a laugher right away.

She got about a step ahead of Olympic champion Julien Alfred in the lane next to her, then kept expanding her lead and ran hard through the line when she could have coasted.

She finished in 10.61, breaking Richardson’s two-year-old world-championship mark by .04. Her margin of .15 seconds over Clayton was a blowout — the same gap Alfred, the Olympic champion who finished third this time, beat Richardson by in Paris last year.

“This year was about accepting that I wanted to be a better athlete, and putting in the work to do so,” Jefferson-Wooden said.

Richardson, who trains alongside JeffersonWooden, wasn’t the same runner as last year or the year before when she won worlds.

While Jefferson-Wooden jumped and shouted into the stands before draping the American flag around her shoulders, Richardson slowly paced the inside of

the track with her hands on hips.

Meanwhile, the secondplace finish for Clayton put Jamaica on the podium on the night its best female sprinter, Shelly-Ann FraserPryce, bid adieu in the 100 with a sixth-place finish.

Tara jumps for gold again

A distance gold medal for...

France

With three-time champion Joshua Cheptegei now running marathons, the men’s 10,000 metres seemed like a wide-open race.

Still, this was a surprise. Jimmy Gressier of France, known mostly as a road racer, outsprinted Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelca to the finish line to bring a distance gold medal home to France.

The win comes a year after the French managed only a single silver medal at the Olympic track meet on home turf.

How will he celebrate?

The “Mommy Rocket” has 16 medals at worlds with a chance for one more if she runs in next weekend’s relays.

“She’s amazing, she’s my idol and who I look up to,” Clayton said. “Competing with her was an honour.”

Another American success story came in the long-jump pit, where Tara Davis-Woodhall took care of yet another piece of unfinished business, adding the long jump world championship to the Olympic title she won last year.

The victory in Tokyo comes two years after a second-place finish at worlds left her disappointed and sparked her to rededicate herself to the sport.

And it comes four years after a sixth-place finish here in Tokyo gave her a taste of just how good she could be.

“My Olympic gold medal now has a friend,” said Davis-Woodhall, whose winning jump was 7.13 metres (23 feet, 4 3/4 inches).

Also in the field, America’s Valarie Allman captured gold in the discus throw to round out her set of gold-silver-bronze from worlds. She also has two Olympic titles.

“I need to sleep, but I probably won’t sleep because my body is so on fire,” Gressier said. Sprint to the finish in the marathon Kenya’s Peres Jepchirchir needed a late sprint in the women’s marathon to hold off Tigst Assefa of Ethiopia to win gold.

Jepchirchir also won the marathon at the Tokyo Games in 2021, when the race was moved to Sapporo because of the heat.

“When I saw I was 100 metres from the finish, I just started to kick,” Jepchirchir said. “I found some hidden energy.”

Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce steps away from track and field where it all began — in Japan

By STEPHEN WADE AP Sports Writer

TOKYO (AP) — It began 18 years ago in Japan as a reserve on a Jamaica relay team when she won a silver medal in the 2007 world championships in Osaka.

The end of ShellyAnn Fraser-Pryce’s storied career — it’s been announced for months — came Sunday at the world championships in Tokyo.

Again in Japan, where it all began.

She leaves as the most decorated female 100-metre sprinter in history, though she plans to run on a relay toward the end of the nineday meet.

She finished only sixth in Sunday’s 100 final, but it didn’t seem to matter that much.

“I mean as a competitor that isn’t how I wanted it to go,” she said. “But on the bright side, I made the finals.”

Not bad for a 38-year-old sprinter who said that 18 years ago she didn’t think she “measured up” with other members of the team.

“I actually didn’t want to run,” said FraserPryce, who is nicknamed the “Mommy Rocket.” She used to be called the “Pocket Rocket” until she gave birth in 2017.

She planned to retire a year ago at the Paris Olympics, but it all went terribly wrong.

Fraser-Pryce withdrew from the semifinals of the 100 metres in Paris after what officials called a mix-up at the gate.

She said she waited about 30 minutes to be let into the stadium and blamed the

delay for leaving her in no condition to race. So she pulled out.

“I know last year, not being able to race the semifinals or the finals in Paris was very hard for me, and for me that was one of my motivations in coming here tonight,” Fraser-Pryce said.

“It’s really just finishing what I’ve started and I felt undone in that moment,” she added, flashing a smile under one of her trademark wigs — this time wearing black, gold and green hair to match the Jamaican flag. The diminutive FraserPryce — just over 5-feet (1.52 metres) — won three Olympic gold medals in her career and eight Olympic medals overall. Add to that, 10 gold medals in world championships and 16 overall — a grand total of 24 in track and field’s two biggest events.

She’s clearly been an idol, especially for young sprinters in the Caribbean.

“I grew up watching her,” said Julien Alfred of Saint Lucia, the 100-metre gold medallist in Paris. “To be on this day competing with her is just amazing.”

Fraser-Pryce ran in the same generation as fellow Jamaican Usain Bolt, who won eight Olympic gold medals and still holds the world records in the 100 and 200.

He got more attention, but she lasted longer.

Bolt is 39, and he said Sunday that Fraser-Pryce made him question why he stepped away from the sport eight years ago.

“It just kind of says that maybe I could have been doing this, too,” Bolt said before her race on Sunday.

“I’m just so impressed with her work rate, and how long she’s been doing it — and the level she’s been doing it at,” Bolt added. “Because a lot of people are still in the game and they’re at the bottom.”

Anthaya torn between two events

BUT 22-YEAR-OLD CHARLTON PLEASED WITH 14TH OVERALL IN 100 METRES

By BRENT STUBBS Chief Sports Editor bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

TOKYO, Japan — She was a double qualifier in the women’s 100 metres and the long jump, but Anthaya Charlton said it was in her best interest to just concentrate on the track and not the field event at the 20th World Outdoor Championships.

On Sunday night, Charlton shined in the spotlight as she made it to the semifinals of the 100m, clocking 11.14 seconds for 6th place as she trailed Saint Lucia’s Olympic champion Julien Alfred through the line at the Japan National Stadium in her posting of 10.99.

The 22-year-old Charlton, now competing as a professional athlete in her post college experience, missed out on a spot into the final, but was still pleased with her 14th position overall. “It was better than 11.18,” said Charlton about her improvement from her qualifying round of the heats on Saturday.

“It’s a good way to close out the season.

“It was a good race. I finished the season healthy. Now, we’re back in the lab for next year.”

Running on the inside in lane two, the slim built Charlton tried to push through with the crowd and was in contention all the way to the end of the race.

One thing she came to realise as she tried to negotiate one of the two automatic qualifying or one

of the two fastest losing times to get into the final, she couldn’t take any of her competitors for granted.

“At this stage, everybody’s great,” said Charlton about the talented field of sprinters from around the world. “It’s about who wants it more, whose time it is at that very moment. Track don’t love nobody. You have to go out there and show out.”

In making her debut at the outdoor championships after she did it indoors in March in Nanjing, China where she was sixth in the long jump final, Charlton admitted that it was a learning experience and it will only prepare her for the future.

“It’s only the beginning,” said Charlton, who is coming off a long season that was mixed with college and the pro ranks. “It’s my job now, so I have to tack in and earn my money.”

The University of Florida graduate joins her elder sister, high hurdles specialist Devynne Charlton, as they are now both signed and sponsored by Puma shoe company.

As the second fastest Bahamian ever at 10.87 on June 12 behind national record holder Chandra Sturrup at 10.84 from July 5, 2005, Charlton said she’s pleased with her progress so far.

On the opening day of the championships on Saturday, she advanced with the third of the four fastest losers times to join the field of 20 automatic qualifiers

for the semifinals. Her time of 11.18 for fifth place in the third of seven heats placed her 19th overall. She was one of two Bahamians hoping to advance, but Camille Rutherford fell short in her bid in heat four with fifth as well in 11.40 for 35th overall.

But Charlton, who opted to compete in the 100m as opposed to the long jump, which she also qualified to compete in at the championship, said she felt she could have executed her race better, but she was just glad to get through injury-free.

She had to do it competing against Richardson, the heat winner in 11.30 and Jackson, the runner-up in 11.03, but Charlton said she took it all in stride.

“I have to look at it like everybody’s human, but they’re really fast and they help to push me,” she insisted. “I was just happy that I could compete with the best.”

Charlton was one of two Bahamians who contested the 100m.

In heat four, Camille Rutherford also placed fifth in 11.40, but her time pegged her at 35 out of a field of 60 competitors as she fell short of the 24 qualifiers.

In her second appearance at the biggest global individual championship in track and field, coming off her appearance at the World

Indoor Championships on March 23 in Nanjing, China where she was sixth in the long jump final, Charlton admitted that it was the “biggest crowd I ever competed in.

“I tried to tune it so that it wasn’t going on, but the energy out there was just crazy. It was a very interesting venue.”

Going into the championships, Charlton had to make a decision on whether she would do the 100m or the long jump, which she also qualified in by breaking Bianca Stuart’s previous national record of 22-feet, 5-inches or 6.83m from June 26, 2015 with her leap of 22-10 3/4 (6.98m) on January 31.

“The schedule didn’t really permit both events to happen. Right now, the long jump is still going on and my heat (of the 100m) just ran. I would have had to leave the long jump, go run and then go back to the long jump, or place all my bets on qualifying on my first jump.

“I really would have been sacrificing both events to compete in both, so I had to pick the one that was more consistent and better in and it was the 100m.”

The Gator graduate’s decision was based on the fact that she only competed in one or two long jump events this season, but was consistent in the century race.

TOP ATHLETES SHINE AT WORLDS

WORLDS - from page E1

Men’s high jump

Donald Thomas, competing in Group A, was tied for 10th at 7-feet, 3-inches (2.21m) for 19th place overall.

UP NEXT Monday night at 9:06pm (8:05 am EST).

Devynne Charlton in lane seven in heat three of the women’s 100m hurdles semifinals. The top two finishers and the next two fastest losers will advance to the final the same night at 10:20 (9:20am EST). Tuesday night at 9:15pm (8:15am EST).

Printassia Johnson in lane three in heat two of the women’s 400m semifinals. The first two finishers and the next two fastest losers

will advance to the final on Thursday at 10.24pm (9:24am EST).

Wednesday Men’s Triple jump qualification at 7:05pm (6:05am EST). Kaiwan Culmer - no start list available yet. Men’s Javelin throw qualification at 7:10pm (6:10am EST).

Keyshawn Strachan - no start list available yet.

Women’s 200m heats at 7:30pm (6:30am EST).

Anthonique Strachanno start list available yet.

Men’s 200m heats at 8:15pm (7:15am EST). Ian Kerr - no start list available yet.

Thursday Men’s Javelin final at 7:23pm (6:23am EST).

Men’s 200m semifinal at 9:02pm (8:02am EST).

Women’s 200m semifinal at 9:24pm (8:24am EST).

Women’s 400m final at 10:24pm (9:24am EST).

Friday Women’s javelin throw qualifying rounds at 7:30pm (6:30am EST) or 9pm (8am EST)

Rhema Otabor, depending on which group she is placed in.

Men’s triple jump final 8:50pm (7am EST)

Men’s 200m final at 10:06pm (9:06am EST).

Women’s 200m final at 10:22pm (9:22am EST).

Saturday Men’s decathlon first five events - Kendrick Thompson.

Women’s javelin final at 9:05pm (8:05am EST). Men’s decathlon - final five events - Kendrick Thompson.