media_artricles :: 2015

Borel, Walcott reign

T&T field Olympians Cleopatra Borel and Keshorn Walcott retained their respective national shot put and javelin gold medal with relative ease yesterday, before the curtains closed for the 2015 Sagicor/NGC NAAA Open Championships, at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Port-of-Spain.

Just shy of her season best (18.50m), Borel threw 18.46m on her attempt, which was enough to see her add another gold to the national record holder’s unassailable lead in terms of national titles in the discipline with a total of 10.

She fouled twice and threw 17.96m, 18.45m and 18.38m in the three other attempts.

Eighteen-year-old Chelsea James claimed silver in a 14.54m effort, followed by Jaleesa Williams (14.48m) and Portious Warren (14.43m), who placed third and fourth.

Prior, Young Shaquille Waithe continued to show tremendous promise as he took silver in the men’s javelin, losing out to his clubmate at Rebirth, Keshorn Walcott, who won another national gold medal with an effort well over the 82.00m mark for the World Championships. Walcott landed his very first throw, 84.84m, which won him the event. He threw again and landed 82.71m on his second attempt and passed the next four turns. Walcott has been in tremendous form this year. He recently rewrote his personal record twice in under a month. It currently stands at 86.43m.

Meanwhile, Reyare Thomas, who took bronze in the women’s 100m final the previous evening, set a new personal record to win her second ever gold medal in the national women’s 200m final. After entering the final as the fifth best runner (23.76) earlier in the evening, she improved her best time from 23.17 (recorded last year when she won silver in the same event) to 22.97 seconds for an easy victory.

Her closest challenger was Kamaria Durant who finished second in 23.15 seconds. They both achieved standards for the upcoming IAAF World Championships and Pan Am Games. Last year’s winner, Michelle-Lee Ahye and two-time national 200m gold medallist, Kelly-Ann Baptiste were two notable absentees from the event.

Saturday, the second day of competition, both Keston Bledman and Kelly-Ann Baptiste were on top form as they equalled their personal bests en route to gold medals in the respective men and women’s 100m finals.

Bledman clocked 9.86 seconds, which was the same time he recorded in his two previous national 100m gold medal runs in 2012 and 2013. Baptiste, meanwhile, would have recorded a seventh national 100m gold but for her ban for doping which resulted in her stipping of national titles and a personal best time. She ran 10.84 seconds, which equalled her legitimate personal best. Then defending gold medallist, Michelle-Lee Ahye, finished with a silver in 11.17 seconds, and was then seen hobbling off the track with an apparent fresh or aggravated injury.

Results

Yesterday - Day Three

Men

800m final

1 Jamaal James, Rebirth, 1:49.36

2 Nicholas Landeau, Rebirth, 1:49.41

3 Kendis Bullard, TT Defence Force, 1:51.01

5000m

1 Kenneth Rotich, Kenya, 15:04.66

2 Jules LaRode, Penal Athletic Club, 16:17.15

3 Iley Bruce, Dovers, 16:26.73

400m hurdles

1 Jehue Gordon, Memphis Pioneers, 50.06 (PAG standard)

2 Emmanuel Mayers, Rebirth, 50.24

3 Ruebin Walters, Memphis Pioneers, 51.82

Discus Throw

1 Quincy Wilson, Rebirth, 57.78m

2 Emmanuel Stewart, Zenith, 51.80m

3 Keon Francis, UWI Track and Field, 46.47m

High Jump

1 Brendan Williams, Dominica, 2.10m

2 Omari Benoit, Falcons, 1.90m

3 Rodney Liverpool, 1.90m

Long jump

1 Elton Walcott, UTT Fast Track, 16.40m (PAG standard)

2 Kyron Blaise, Rebirth, 16.23m (PAG standard)

3 Steve Waithe, Memphis Pioneers, 16.04m (PAG standard)

Women

200m dash finals (2.2)

1 Reyare Thomas, Abilene, 22.97 (IAAF WC standard)

2 Kamaria Durant, 23.15 (IAAF WC standard)

3 Karene King, IVB, 23.26

800m final

1 Alena Brooks, Memphis Pioneers, 2:06.71

2 Myah Hicks, Memphis Pioneers, 2:07.66

3 Dawnel Collymore, Memphis Pioneers, 1:10.76

400m hurdles

1 Josanne Lucas, Falcons, 56.76 (PAG standard)

2 Sparkle Knight, Memphis Pioneers, 56.76 (PAG standard)

Long Jump

1 Chantel Malone, IVB, 6.51m

2 Josanne Joseph, Concorde, 5.76m

3 Dannielle Danis, Unattached, 5.64m

Shot put

1 Cleopatra Borel, Rebirth, 18.46m (IAAF WC standard)

2 Chelsea James, Falcons, 14.54m

3 Jaleesa Williams, DPAC, 14.48m

Masters

Men

100m (1.8)

1 Norton St Louis, TT Defence Force, 10.98

2 Martin Prime, ZC, 11.85

3 Lester Herbert, ZC, 12.04

Women

100m (1.9)

1 Ayanna Hutchinson, Concorde, 11.96

2 Alisha Fortune, Guyana, 12.20

3 Joan Hospedales, TT Masters, 13.09

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