media_artricles :: 2014

'Torpedo' bolts to 9.74

Richard “Torpedo” Thompson scorched the track in 9.74 seconds to win the elite men’s 100 metres dash, at the National Training Centre/Pure Athletics Last Chance Meet, in Clermont, Florida, USA, yesterday. However, the wind gauge malfunctioned, and the clocking will not hold up as a Trinidad and Tobago record.

Guyana’s Adam Harris was second in 9.90, while T&T sprinters Emmanuel Callender (10.07) and Keston Bledman (11.69) were seventh and eighth, respectively. Bledman felt a muscle twinge and aborted his run. Thompson was fastest in the qualifying round in 10.12 seconds. Bledman clocked 10.15, Callender 10.29, and Moriba Morain 10.69.

In the 200m, Callender clocked a wind-assisted 20.62 to finish fourth overall. Ade Alleyne-Forte was fourth in the men’s 400m in 46.88 seconds. Kyron Blaise jumped 7.29m for fourth spot in the men’s long jump. And Geronne Black was 12th overall in the elite women’s 100m dash in 11.61.

At the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) West Preliminary meet, in Arkansas, on Friday, Janeil Bellille clocked a personal best 55.41 seconds to win heat three in the women’s 400m hurdles. The Texas A&M University senior led all qualifiers into the June 11-14 NCAA Division 1 Outdoor Championships, in Oregon, USA.

T&T/Texas A&M athletes, Deon Lendore and Carlyle Roudette qualified for the NCAA Championships in the men’s 400m event. Lendore topped heat two in 45.22 seconds to qualify second fastest among the West athletes. Roudette was fourth fastest, the 22-year-old quartermiler finishing second in heat three in a personal best 45.66.

At the NCAA East Preliminary meet, in Florida, Steve Waithe produced a personal best 16.06 metres effort to finish fourth in the men’s triple jump, the Pennsylvania State University student booking his ticket for the NCAA Championships.

University of Georgia athlete Hilenn James, Coppin State University’s Deandra Daniel, Morgan State University’s Emmanuel Stewart, University of Southern Mississippi twins Robert and Richard Collingwood, and Louisiana State University (LSU) sprinter Shermund Allsop competed in the East Preliminary meet, but did not qualify for the NCAA Championships.

James was 14th in the women’s discus with a 52.42m throw. Daniel cleared the bar at 1.77m for 21st spot in the women’s high jump. In the men’s discus, Stewart (54.61m) and Richard Collingwood (53.12m) were 21st and 29th, respectively. Robert Collingwood finished 23rd in the men’s shot put with a 17.87m effort. And Allsop was 31st overall in the men’s 200m in 21.26 seconds.

At the West Preliminary meet, University of Iowa’s Carisa Leacock and Arkansas State University’s Kashef Daniel were non-qualifiers. Leacock produced a wind-assisted leap of 5.94m to finish 22nd in the women’s long jump, while no height was cleared by Daniel in the men’s high jump.

Texas A&M’s Wayne Davis II and University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee student Durell Busby were in action after press time, last night, in the West Preliminary men’s 110m hurdles. And North Dakota State University’s Deborah John was on show in the women’s 100m hurdles.

At the Prefontaine Classic IAAF Diamond League meet, in Oregon, yesterday, T&T’s 2012 Olympic champion Keshorn Walcott finished seventh in the men’s javelin with a 75.50m throw. Czech Republic’s reigning world champion Vitezslav Vesely produced an 83.75m effort to top the field.

And in the men’s 400m, T&T’s Olympic bronze medallist Lalonde Gordon did not finish. Grenada’s Kirani James and American LaShawn Merritt finished one-two, both quartermilers clocking 43.97 seconds. Saudia Arabia’s Youssef Masrahi (44.77) was third.

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