Fresh off a career-defining performance at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, Bahamian sprint and long jump standout Anthaya Charlton has officially announced her decision to turn professional.
Charlton, who stunned track fans with a blistering personal best of 10.87 seconds to win her 100m semifinal, confirmed the news in an exclusive interview with Sportsmax.TV.
The 21-year-old, now the second-fastest Bahamian woman in history, revealed that she has already signed a professional contract, though her sponsor remains under wraps.
“I am going pro this year. I’ve signed already,” Charlton declared.
“I graduated this spring. I was a senior in the classroom but a junior on the track, so I’ve already finished school.”
A Historic Performance
Charlton’s 10.87 clocking edged her closer to the national record of 10.84 held by Bahamian sprint legend Chandra Sturrup. It also capped off a breakout season for the versatile Florida Gators athlete, who already owns the Bahamian national long jump record at 6.98m.
“It just feels great to be a part of history, to be amongst the greats,” Charlton shared.
“I’m high on a list that contains a lot of really great Bahamians. Overall, it’s just a great feeling.”
Even more impressive was how effortless the performance felt.
“I always knew I was capable of it,” she said.
“What surprised me was how easy it felt. That’s what caught me off guard.”
Despite her semifinal heroics, Charlton narrowly missed a podium finish in the fiercely contested NCAA 100m final. Battling a headwind and a disrupted start, she finished fourth in 11.19 seconds (-1.4 m/s) , just six-thousandths of a second off the bronze medal position.
“I had a really bad start,” she admitted.
“They called the race back and I think that threw me a bit. Plus, we had a headwind. I just didn’t execute the way I did in the semis.”
The Next Big Decision
Charlton’s prowess in both sprinting and long jump has ignited debate about where her future focus should lie at the senior level. For the athlete herself, the answer isn’t simple.
“It depends on who you ask, honestly,” she laughed.
“Sometimes the long jump is my better event, sometimes the 100. But maybe the long jump, just because I like the fact that you get three to six chances to better your jump.”
With the Bahamas National Championships and World Athletics Championships in Tokyo approaching, Charlton confirmed she’ll contest both events at trials before making a final decision on her World Championships program.
Charlton’s rapid rise feels even more remarkable considering her rocky start in college athletics. As a freshman, she quit track entirely and forfeited her scholarship, struggling to adjust to the demands of a top-tier NCAA program.
“Back home, I never took track seriously,” she admitted.
“When I got to a Power 5 school, the demands were so much more than I expected. I wasn’t ready. I quit.”
It was time away from the sport that made her realize what she was missing.
“I started thinking about how much I loved the sport and what I was missing. So I came back my sophomore year as a walk-on. That’s when everything changed.”
Family Influence and Physical Transformation
Charlton credits much of her turnaround to the guidance of her older sister, Devynne Charlton, a two-time World Indoor Champion in the 60m hurdles.
“Devynne was a huge inspiration. She made sure I was doing the right things and taking track seriously. I was the one who didn’t really care, but she kept me on the right path.”
From a slight 105 pounds on arrival to a muscular 127-pound athlete today, Charlton built herself from scratch in the weight room and training track.
“When I came into college, I’d never lifted a single weight before. I started with a broomstick,” she recalled.
Looking Ahead
Even with a bright professional career ahead, Charlton is already contemplating life after competitive athletics.
“I’ve always said I want to go into coaching,” she shared.
“Whenever I go back home and help out with younger athletes, that’s something I really enjoy. So after track, I want to coach.”
She also spoke about the resilience of Bahamian athletes, attributing their global success to late development and grit.
“We lack the resources that the States have, so when we finally enter that environment, we’re still developing. That gives us more room to grow,” she explained.
“For me, I wasn’t overdeveloped coming in, and that allowed me to be developed the right way.”
From a disinterested teen to a national record-holder and now a professional athlete, Anthaya Charlton’s journey is a testament to self-belief, discipline, and late blooming brilliance.