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Small Country - Great Athletes, Is it Chris Brown’s Year?
By Alpheus Finlayson, BAAA
May 30, 2011 - 2:56:31 PM

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Chris Brown pictured after his World Indoor victory. Photo courtesy of The Nassau Guardian

Chris Brown has been one of the most durable quarter milers The Bahamas has ever produced. Hailing from Wemyss Bight, Eleuthera and nicknamed “The Fireman”, Brown was born on October 15th, 1978.

After competing on the world scene since 1999, Brown was finally able to win an IAAF world event last year, the IAAF World Indoor Championships in Doha, Qatar. He ran a seasonal best of 45.96sec, becoming only the third Bahamian to win a world indoor crown.

On Friday, May 27th, Brown won the 400m at the Golden Gala in Rome with a time of 45.16sec. In that race Brown defeated Jermaine Gonzalez of Jamaica, who had the second best time worldwide in 2010 of 44.40sec, Rene Quow of Trinidad and Tobago, who won the Bronze medal at the Berlin World Championships, and David Neville, of the USA, who made that famous “dive” to snatch the Beijing Bronze in 2008.  

This clocking puts Brown in 9th place on the IAAF list this season.

Earlier in the month at the Jamaica International Invitation, Brown started his season with a win, running 45.37sec, defeating Quow and Gonzalez.

What seems to be different this season is that Brown seems to have changed his race strategy. In both races this season, Brown has had to come from behind to snatch victory. In some of his crucial races Brown had gone out fast only to be taken down at the tape.

Moving Up to the Big League

In his first senior competition Brown ran a new Bahamian National record of 1:49.54 in the semi-final of the 800m at the Central American and Caribbean Games in Maracaibo, Venezuela, in 1998. That record remains till this day.

1999

In 1999 Brown won the National “Open” Track and Field Championships in Nassau with a Personal Best of 45.96sec.

He was then attending Norfolk State University and coached by Olympian Steve Riddick.

Brown came into his own at the Seville World Championships that summer when he ran a split of 44.64sec to anchor the team of Tim Munnings, Troy McIntosh, and Carl Oliver to a seventh place finish in a time of 3:01.7.

2000

At a meet in early June of 2000 in Durham, North Carolina, Brown moved his Personal Best to 45.08sec.

Brown was ready for the Olympic Games!

A Gallant Attempt

Chris was the anchor runner in Sydney and he made a gallant effort to catch Michael Johnson, the 400m World record holder, in the 4x400m relay. It was not to be as Brown faded to fourth place. Due to anti-doping infractions by members of the USA team, the Bahamas was upgraded to the Bronze medal.

2001

He won the 2001 National “Open” Track and Field Championships in Nassau with a 45.20sec clocking.

At the Edmonton World Championships in Edmonton, 2001, he ran 46.01 in his heat for 4th place. Brown ran the second leg of the 4x400m relay, clocking 44.5sec. World Champion Avard Moncur ran the lead off leg, Troy McIntosh the third leg and Tim Munnings the anchor leg to give the Bahamas the Silver medal and a new Bahamian National record of 2:58.39. Years later, again due to an anti-doping infraction by the USA, the Bahamas was moved up to the Gold medal.

2002

Finishing third in his Semi-Final heat at the Commonwealth Games in Manchester in 2002 in 45.11sec, Brown was a member of the 4x400m team in Manchester that won the Bronze medal. This team included Troy McIntosh, Dominic Demeritte, and Tim Munnings. Their time was 3:01.35.

At the second NACAC Under- 25 Championships in San Antonio, Texas that August Brown captured the Gold medal in the 400m in 45.50sec.

2003

Brown was having a great outdoor season in 2003 when he tackled Grenadian great Alleyne Francique on his home turf at the Central American and Caribbean Senior Championships. Brown finished second in 45.42sec to Francique’s 45.27sec. Chris anchored the 4x400m relay to victory in 3:02.56. The team included Avard Moncur, Carl Oliver, and Nathaniel McKinney.

Moving to the World Championships in Paris, Brown ran 45.29sec in the semi-final for fourth place in heat 2, defeating Moncur, who ran 45.65sec for 6th place.

In the relay Brown teamed up with Moncur, Dennis Darling, and Nathaniel McKinney, to finish 4th in 3:00.53. Due to an anti-doping infraction by the USA again, the Bahamas was elevated to the Bronze medal.

2004
 
At the Athens Olympic Games Chris ran 45.09sec in the first round heat and finished 3rd in his Semi-Final heat in 45.31sec. He anchored the 4x400m relay to a 6th place finish in 3:01.88. On the team were Nathaniel McKinney, Aaron Cleare, and Andrae Williams.

2005

The year 2005 should have been Brown’s but he faced several challenges early on. Firstly, the man from Wemyss Bight lost to upstart Andrae Williams in the National “Open” Track and Field Championships held in Williams’ hometown of Freeport. At the ColinaImperial Sr. CAC Championships held in Nassau, Brown finished second to Jermaine Gonzalez of Jamaica.  

At the Helsinki World Championships he finished 4th in a Personal Best of 44.48sec. He also anchored the 4x400m relay made up of Nathaniel McKinney, Avard Moncur, and Andrae Williams in a new Bahamian National record of 3:57.32.

2006

The next year Chris won the Bronze medal in the Moscow World Indoor Championships in a new Bahamian National Indoor record of 45.78.

Brown went from Moscow “Down Under” for the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne Brown finished 4th in 45.19sec.

His best time that year was 44.80sec done at Oslo.

2007

The year 2007 saw Brown strike Gold at the Rio Pan American Games in 44.85sec.

He was definitely prepared for the Osaka World Championships in. Running 44.50sec in the first round, which to our research, is the fastest time ever run in either the World Championships or Olympic Games first round, Brown settled for a 4th place while tying Avard Moncur’s Bahamian National record of 44.45sec in the final. The 4x400m relay team repeated their Silver medal performance, this time with Avard Moncur, Michael Mathieu, and Andrae Williams in a time of 2:59.18, a seasonal best.

2008

After two 4th place finishes in the World Outdoor Championships 2008 was to be the year that Brown ascended the medal podium for the second time. He began his campaign in Valencia, Spain at the World Indoor Championships where he won the Bronze medal in a seasonal best of 46.26 sec.

At home he faced the challenge from Andretti Bain, the NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Champion at the Scotiabank Olympic Trials.

His outdoor campaign was in high gear, running no less than third on the Grand Prix and circuit and the Golden League. At the Oslo Bislet Games he ran another Bahamian National record, improving to 44.40sec.

In the final in Beijing the medal was in his grasp but it was snapped from his hands by a now famous dive by David Neville from the USA. Brown’s time in this race was 44.84sec, relegating him to 4th place.

He still was able to anchor the Bahamian 4x400m relay team to a Silver medal in 2:58.03. This team included Andretti Bain, Michael Mathieu, and Andrae Williams.
 

2009

The year 2009 proved to be further disappointment for Brown who failed in the final 100m straight and finished 5th in the Berlin World Championships in 45.47sec. The 4x400m relay may have wiped away that disappointment but the team was disqualified in the semi-final.  

2010

Brown was able to come back in 2010 and won the Qatar World Indoor Championships. He became only the third Bahamian to win a World Indoor Championship. Chandra Sturrup captured the 2001 Lisbon 60m and Dominic Demeritte won the 2004 Budapest 200m.

Brown’s time in Qatar was 45.96sec, a seasonal best.

He ran sparingly outdoors, and was defeated by both newcomer Demetrius Pinder from Grand Bahama, and Andretti Bain at the BTC National “Open” Track and Field Championships. His seasonal best of 45.05sec was done in the Rome Diamond League for a 23rd place on the global list.

The Future

At 32 years of age Brown looks forward with great anticipation to winning an individual medal in the 2011 World Championships in Daegu, South Korea, and in the 2012 Olympic Games in London.

Before that, he has to secure a spot on the Bahamian team. This should happen on the weekend of June 24th and 25th at the National “Open” Track and Field Championships.

His main challengers at the moment are Demetrius Pinder of Grand Bahama, who has a best this season of 44.87sec and is the NCAA Indoor Champion, Michael Mathieu of Grand Bahama, at 45.69sec, who turned in a fine 200m performance of 20.38sec at the Fritz Grant Invitational, which is 12th in the world, and Ramon Miller, who ran 45.57 sec at the Daegu International Challenge Meet earlier in the month.

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Demetrius Pinder, Photo courtesy of Texas A & M University Athletics

Then there are LaToy Williams from Grand Bahama, who ran a world leading time in April of 2009, Andretti Bain, NCAA Indoor and Outdoor champion from 2008, Andrae Williams, and Avard Moncur, 2001 World champion.
 
The World Championships is late this year, some three months away. Brown has run just two individual races so far this year and should be ready for the challenges.

Brown lives in Atlanta with his wife Faith and is coached by former quarter mile great Innocent Egbunike of Nigeria.


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