media_artricles :: 2012

New Records Set In Nine Events During 2012

In its October issue the British quarterly TRACK STATS noted that at the London Olympics one hundred national records were set, and that in this table TT was the top nation with seven records: men`s 400h, 4x400m and javelin (twice each) and women`s 200m and 4x100m.

A look at the entire 2012 season, however, shows that TT records were also broken by men at 110h and hammer, by women in the marathon and triple jump.

Our most prolific record breaker was Olympic champion Keshorn Walcott who set no less than five new records. In May he broke Kurt Thompson`s sixteen year old javelin record of 78.06 by 88cm, with a throw of 78.94 in Port of Spain. Later that month he upped the record to 80.11 in Havana, he brought it to 82.83 at the San Salvador CAC Junior Championships in July, and he completed the task with his throws of 83.51 and 84.58 in the Olympic final, adding more than six and half metres to the old javelin record in just three months.

The 4x400m record, which had stood at 3:01.05 since the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, was broken three times by national teams, in June (3:00.45) and at the London Olympics in August (3:00.38 and 2:59.40). Split times for the 2:59.40 team which, besides winning the bronze medal, was also our first ever under three minutes, were 44.6 Lalonde Gordon, 44.6 Jarrin Solomon, 45.5 Ade Forte and 44.7 Deon Lendore.

New hurdle records were established by Wayne Davis at 110h with 13.37 (previous record 13.43, Steve Brown, 1999) and at 400h by Jehue Gordon with 47.96 in the Olympic semi-finals, knocking 0.33 seconds off his own record from 2009.

In the hammer Emmanuel Stewart became the first national over 50 metres, when his 52.20 effort in Winston Salem added more than 10 metres to the 42.10 record, set by Jase Franklyn in 2009.

The first women`s record came on 15 April when Tonya Nero ran the Rotterdam marathon in 2h43:14 to better the 2h57:18 mark set in 1987 by Deborah Snagg in Richmond, Virginia. Then Ayanna Alexander broke her own 13.99 triple jump record from 2010 twice, leaping 14.14 in Charlottesville on 12 May, and just one week later 14.15 in Port of Spain.

The 200m record of 22.60 by Kelly-Ann Baptiste in 2009 was bettered by Semoy Hackett, who clocked 22.55 at Jacksonville in May and equalled this time in her Olympic semi-final.

The 4x100m relay mark of 43.22 from the 2009 Berlin World Championships was improved twice by the national team, with 43.21 at Nassau in June and 42.31 in the preliminary round of the Olympics. Members of both squads were Michelle Ayhe, Kelly-Ann Baptiste, Kai Selvon and Semoy Hackett.

Eighteen new records in nine specialities is not a bad report, for one year in TT athletics.

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