As she prepared to challenge for a world indoor title to go along with her world indoor record, Devynne Charlton reflected on her Bahamian roots and mused: “I kinda owe my existence to track and field.
It might have taken the girl from Nassau a mere 7.67 seconds to make her way into the world record books in New York on 11 February, but she has a keen appreciation of the grand sweep of time and circumstance that put her in such an elevated position.
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Overlooking the bright new track where she will be going for gold on the concluding day of the World Athletics Indoor Championships Glasgow 24 on Sunday (3), Charlton pondered the fateful meeting of her future parents.
Her father, Dave Charlton, represented The Bahamas at the very first World Championships, outdoors in Helsinki in 1983.
He finished seventh in a 400m hurdles heat won by Harald Schmid, the West German who took silver behind Ed Moses in the final.
Dave also ran on the anchor leg for the Bahamian 4x100m team that finished sixth in their heat, struggling manfully in an attempt to match strides with European 100m champion Frank Emmelmann from East Germany.
Dave has been named as head coach of Team Bahamas for the World Athletics Relays Bahamas 24, which takes place at the Robinson National Stadium in Nassau on 4-5 May.
Laura Charlton, Devynne’s mother, is a member of the local organising committee. And Devynne herself will be part of the competing home team.
“Yeah, my parents are heavily involved in the sport,” Devynne reflected. “They met at a track meet.
“I grew up doing track, following in my dad’s footsteps. Having two parents who are so involved in the sport has definitely played a role in my success coming up in the sport.
“I’m just thankful to them for the support they’ve been able to give me.”
That support was rewarded at the Millrose
Games World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold meeting in New York City on the evening of 11 February.
Dave and Laura were looking down from the stands as their dynamic daughter rocketed out of the starting blocks, powered over the five flights in her smooth, snappy style, and crossed the line in 7.67 – 0.01 inside the world record figures set in Karlsruhe back in 2008 by the Swede Susanna Kallur.
During a family celebration meal afterwards, Charlton could recall nothing from the blur of the race – only the time and the ‘WR’ next to it on the trackside clock after crossing the line.
Three weeks on, the 28-year-old confessed: “I’ve watched that race about a thousand times now – if not more.
“My mind kind of went blank during the race, so I have zero recollection of it. Watching it back, I can appreciate what actually happened and what I did.”
Charlton, of course, is now the joint world record-holder, Tia Jones having matched her 7.67 in the heats at the US Indoor Championships in Albuquerque six days later. Jones subsequently suffered an injury tumbling out of the arena in the final that has, sadly, ruled her out of the world indoor equation.
Not that the joint world record time might stand still for very long.
Despite suffering from jetlag, Charlton finished just 0.01 shy of it in the final World Indoor Athletics Tour Gold meeting in Madrid on 23 February.
Having scrutinised her New York performance so comprehensively, she considers there to be room for improvement – quite possibly on the fast new track in the Glasgow Arena.
“I think my reaction time wasn’t so great,” said Charlton. “It could have been better.” (World Athletics)
