Days after securing silver at the Junior Pan American Games, sprinter Caitlyn Bobb is bracing for her maiden appearance at the World Athletics Championships.

Bobb qualified for the championships to be held in Tokyo, Japan, from September 13 to 21, through her ranking as No 63 in the world in the women’s 400 metres.

With triple jumper Jah-Nhai Perinchief skipping the event because of injury, it means Bobb will be Bermuda’s only athlete at what is considered the second-biggest event in athletics after the Olympics.

The 22-year-old, who is back training in Virginia before she heads to Japan on September 6, believes qualification has come at the right time when she is trying to get back in the groove.

“It feels nice to qualify for the World Championships,’’ the 22-year-old told The Royal Gazette.

“Especially during my season of getting my mojo back. Personally, track is track, I don’t overthink or stress out too much about preparation.

“I continue to do what I did during my NCAA season. NACAC and Junior Pan Am were a stepping stone to the last meet of my season.”

Perinchief, who is recuperating from a hamstring injury, has congratulated Bobb and urged her to enjoy every moment when she competes against the top athletes.

“Congratulations to Caitlyn, I’m super proud and happy for her to be able to qualify,” the triple jumper said.

“She must just be confident, believe in herself and have fun. It’s a huge experience and a big moment for her.

“She’s young and she still has more years, but it doesn't mean that she can’t compete against the best in the world.”

“It’s going to be a great experience for her. Being at the World Championships is just as big as the Olympics in terms of the competition aspect.

“If you look at the records, the World Championships records are significantly better than those of the Olympics, which shows you the level of competition.

“For her to get that experience and exposure for a country as small as ours is amazing. Caitlyn has continued to grow and get better as an athlete since she stepped on the scene.

“I've been told that if I was not injured, it would have been the two of us going. This would have been a big feat compared to what we talked about in 2023 when I was alone in Budapest.”

DeVon Bean, the national coach, viewed Bobb’s qualification as an indication of where she is in her career.

“Anytime you have an athlete qualify for something like the World Championships, it tells you the type of level they’re at,” he said.

“She qualified off her world ranking and it’s quite an achievement for her, so it proves that she’s part of the world’s elite. She’s not that far off —, her best time is 51.11sec and the qualifying standard is 50.95.”

Other Bermudian athletes that were trying to qualify are Dage Minors in the 1,500 metres and high jumper Sakari Famous. The duo’s last chance was at the North American, Central American and Caribbean Championships, in Freeport, Bahamas, held from August 15 to 17.

“Dage Minors and Sakari Famous were not close,” Bean said.

“In the men’s 1,500, you have to run 3min 33sec and Dage Minors has a personal best of 3:41, so he’s quite off the mark. Sakari Famous has jumped 1.85 metres and 1. 97 is the qualifying standard.

“Both athletes are right on the cusp; not to say that they can’t do it. But as far as this championship is concerned, they were off.

“We also have Nirobi Smith-Mills. What he has to do is travel and compete more often. He competes a lot in the UK, so his body has to get used to him competing consistently enough for him to run the required times.

“At the Junior Pan American Games, he was realistically running for a gold medal and finished fifth. He needs to go a step up to qualify for the World Championships and Olympics.”