media_artricles :: 2015

Lalonde clocks sub-45 in Belgium

Lalonde Gordon produced his fastest 400 metres clocking this season at the KBC Night of Athletics meet, in Heusden, Belgium, on Saturday. The Trinidad and Tobago quartermiler topped the men's one-lap field in 44.99 seconds, getting home ahead of American Tony McQuay (45.13) and Belgium's Kevin Borlee (45.24).

Gordon was triumphant in his 400m season-opener, in St Martin on May 9, completing his lap of the track in 45.50 seconds. On June 14, in Morocco, he clocked 46.02 to secure the runner-up spot, behind Grenada's reigning Olympic champion Kirani James (45.15).

A couple weeks later, Gordon competed at the NGC-Sagicor National Association of Athletics Administrations (NAAA) Open Track and Field Championships, at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Port of Spain. The double Olympic bronze medallist bagged bronze at the T&T Nationals in 46.45 seconds. The run was almost two seconds slower than his personal best time of 44.52.

But Gordon found form on Wednesday in Belgium, clocking 32.21 seconds to win the International Meeting de Liège men's 300m title. The fast run was a new national record, bettering Ian Morris' 32.27 standard, which stood for 23 years.

Gordon's 32.21 clocking put him in fifth spot on the 2015 world outdoor performance list. South African Wade van Niekirk tops the list at 31.63 seconds. Evergreen Bahamian quartermiler Chris Brown (31.99), Briton Delano Williams (32.14) and American David Verburg (32.17) are second, third and fourth, respectively.

James, van Niekirk and Botswana's Isaac Makwala have all dived under 44 seconds in the 400 this season, clocking 43.95, 43.96 and 43.72, respectively, and would fancy their chances of a podium finish at the August 22-30 IAAF World Championships in Beijing, China.

Makwala leads the world, while James and van Niekirk are second and third, respectively. T&T's Machel Cedenio is joint-sixth with American LaShawn Merritt at 44.36 seconds. Another T&T quartermiler, Deon Lendore is joint-eighth with Verburg at 44.41. And three other T&T athletes are in the top 40. Renny Quow (44.72) is 15th, Gordon (44.99) 25th, and Jarrin Solomon (45.15) 34th.

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