A. Strachan, a Bahamian sprinter born on August 22, 1993, won the 100- and 200-meter world junior titles in 2012. A. Strachan ran the 200-meter and 4400-meter relays at the 2012, 2016, and 2020 Summer Olympics.
A. Strachan trained with Club Monica Athletics while she was a student at St. Augustine’s College in Nassau, Bahamas. Before relocating to Kingston, Jamaica to train with the MVP Track and Field Club and coach Stephen Francis.
She trained in Auburn, Alabama with Henry Rolle, who also coached Kerron Stewart, Darrel Brown, and Marc Burns.
A. Strachan was victorious at the 2011 Pan American Junior Athletics Championships in the 200-meter and 4×100-meter relay events. She ran the 200-meter dash in 22.70 seconds, which set a championship record and also a new World Junior Leading mark.
“I Stopped Judging Myself so Hard,” A. Strachan Says
When A. Strachan was a teenager, she displayed all the signs of being one of the sport’s biggest names on the international stage. Things seemed to be going well for the young Bahamian as he won five gold medals at Carifta.
The 100-meter title at the 2011 Pan American Junior Championships, and the 100- and 200-meter titles at the 2012 World U20 Championships.
Yet, the years since then have not been as kind. A. Strachan had a bright beginning to her career. But injuries and a subsequent loss of confidence cast serious question on whether or not she would ever realise her potential.
“It’s actually very challenging because you start to criticise and condemn yourself and then you go on social media. And you see people judging you,” said A. Strachan , who is 28 and having her best season in a decade.
Nobody knows what happens after the lights go off, so I try not to take it to heart, but it’s kind of hard to judge yourself and then have people out there condemning you.
“I haven’t PB’ed in 10 years, so I have people telling me that I need to hang it up, get a 9-5, all sorts of crap.”
This year of 2022 has been wonderful to her thus far. On March 26 at the National Stadium in Kingston. Where she trains with the MVP Track Club, she ran a personal best of 10.99 in the 100 metres at the John Wolmer Speed Fest.
And on April 23 she ran a time of 22.55 to win the 200 metres against a field that included multiple Olympic and World Champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce.
Conclusion
Two runners, A. Strachan and Grand Bahama College student Brianne Bethel, competed in a runoff to determine. Which of the four qualifiers would represent the Bahamas in the women’s 200-meter dash at the 2020 Olympics.
This past Thursday, in Tokyo, Japan, the Bahamas Olympic Committee management team oversaw a 150m race between A. Strachan and Bethel. Winner A. Strachan finished in 16.32 seconds, with runner-up Bethel clocking in at 16.76.
