Teray Smith looking to go under 20 sec.

Senior sprinter at Auburn University, Bahamian Teray Smith, hopes to build on his strong start to the 2017 indoor season, looking to make this season his most memorable one as a collegiate athlete.

At the Commodore Invitational this past Friday, Smith finished first in the men’s 200 meters (m) in 21.22 seconds.

“I’m in the best shape of my life, thanks to my coaching staff at Auburn,” said Smith following the meet. “My personal goal is to become the first Bahamian to run sub-20. If I run sub-20, I’ll be in the finals of the IAAF World Championships. That’s a big goal, to be the first Bahamian athlete to ever run 19 seconds. I know I can do it.”

The 2017 International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) World Championships is set for August 4–13, in London, England. After dealing with a hamstring injury toward the end of last year’s outdoor season, Smith said he’s ready for a breakout performance against the world’s best.

Despite battling a leg injury, he ran 20.66 in the first round of the men’s 200m at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics, not far off his season’s best time of 20.62 seconds.

“It just motivates me going into my senior season to work harder – no days off,” he said. “When the world championships come around, I want to be in the final. I want to be in contention to represent my country to get a medal, and to represent Auburn.”

At the War Eagle Invitational last season, Smith finished sixth in the men’s 100m, and posted a time of 20.64 seconds in the 200m. In the indoor season, he was 11th at the Southeastern Conference (SEC) Indoor Championships in the 200m in a time of 21.08 seconds. He finished eighth at the Husker Invitational in the 60m with a time of 6.91 seconds, and recorded a ninth place finish in the 200m in 20.95 seconds.

In both 2014 and 2015, Smith was selected as an Outdoor Second Team All-American in the 200m. In 2014, he was also named to the All-SEC Freshman Team for his times in the 100 and 200m.

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