media_artricles :: 2015

Record-breaking Walcott

Olympic champ bags bronze at Golden Gala

Keshorn Walcott saved his best for last at the Golden Gala IAAF Diamond League meet, in Rome, Italy, yesterday. In the sixth and final round of the men's javelin, the reigning Olympic champion landed the spear 86.20 metres—a new Trinidad and Tobago record—to grab bronze.

World champion Vitezslav Vesely struck gold in the event, the Czech Republic thrower producing an 88.14m effort. Silver went to Julius Yego, the reigning African and Commonwealth Games champion breaking his own Kenyan record with an 87.71m throw.

Walcott's 86.20m effort was 43 centimetres better than his previous national record, the 85.77m standard he had established in Zurich, Switzerland, last August.

World champion Jehue Gordon finished seventh in the Golden Gala men's 400m hurdles, the T&T athlete getting home in a season's best 49.22 seconds. Americans Johnny Dutch and Michael Tinsley finished first and second, respectively, clocking 48.13 and 48.34. Puerto Rico's Javier Culson was third in 48.65.

Another T&T athlete, Wayne Davis II clocked 13.84 seconds to finish ninth in the men's 110m hurdles. Russian Sergey Shubenkov earned gold, just getting the better of France's Garfield Darien. Both hurdlers got to the line in 13.23 seconds. American Jeff Porter, meanwhile, was third in 13.32.

On Tuesday, at the Aileen Meagher International Track Classic, in Canada, Kyle Greaux snapped up silver in the men's 200m in 21.30 seconds, behind Cuban Roberto Skyers (21.18) and ahead of Canadian Gavin Smellie (21.45). In the 100m dash, Greaux was seventh in a wind-aided 10.92. Barbadian Ramon Gittens clocked 10.40 for the win.

Greaux's T&T teammate, Alena Brooks seized silver in the women's 800m in two minutes, 09.33 seconds. American Bethany Praska emerged victorious in 2:05.99.

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