media_artricles :: 2016

Sprinter Bledman golden in France

Silver for Walcott, Thomas

Keston Bledman struck gold at the Meeting International de Sotteville, in France, yesterday. The Trinidad and Tobago track star clocked 10.27 seconds to capture the men's 100 metres title, getting to the line ahead of Barbadian Ramon Gittens (10.29) and Jamaican Everton Clarke (10.33).

The Sotteville victory was the second on the trot for Bledman, following last Wednesday's 10.26 triumph in Liege, Belgium. Last Thursday, Bledman was named on a 32-member T&T team for the August 5-21 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Two of Bledman's T&T teammates, Keshorn Walcott and Mikel Thomas were also on show in Sotteville.

Walcott, the reigning Olympic champion, threw 79.62 metres to claim silver in the men's javelin, behind Ukraine's Dmytro Kosynskyi (81.73m) and ahead of American Riley Dolezal (76.61m). And Thomas picked up silver in the men's 110m hurdles in 13.57 seconds. American Jarett Eaton (13.39) and United States Virgin Islands athlete Eddie Lovett (13.62) earned gold and bronze, respectively.

At the Gyulai Istvan Memorial meet, in Hungary, yesterday, Jarrin Solomon finished fourth in the men's 400m in a season's best 45.42 seconds, with fifth spot going to his T&T teammate Renny Quow (45.55). Grenadian Kirani James outclassed his rivals, the 2012 Olympic champion winning in 44.60 seconds, from American Tony McQuay (45.08) and Bahamian Steven Gardiner (45.28).

T&T's 2013 world champion Jehue Gordon clocked 50.43 seconds to finish sixth in the men's 400m hurdles. Japan's Keisuke Nozawa won in 49.26, from South African LJ van Zyl (49.78) and Estonia's Rasmus Magi (49.79).

Cleopatra Borel finished seventh in the women's shot put, the T&T thrower landing the iron ball 18.34 metres. New Zealand's Valerie Adams won with a big 20.19m effort. But it was by no means an easy triumph for the two-time Olympic champion. Reigning world champion Christina Schwanitz made things uncomfortable for Adams, the German eventually settling for silver at 20.14m. Bronze went to American Michelle Carter (19.56m).

On Saturday, Rondel Sorrillo produced a 20.62 seconds run to seize men's 200m silver at the KBC Night of Athletics meet, in Belgium. The T&T sprinter just missed out on gold, the top spot going to Japan's Asuka Cambridge, also in 20.62.

At Sunday's Meeting Citta Di Padova, in Italy, T&T's Sparkle McKnight finished fifth in the women's 400m hurdles in 57.86 seconds. American T'erea Brown clocked 55.95 for a comfortable victory, ahead of France's Phara Anacharsis (56.43) and Ukraine's Viktoriya Tkachuk (57.02).

In Edmonton, Canada, last Friday, Semoy Hackett was sixth in the Tracktown Classic women's 200m event. The T&T sprinter clocked 23.22 seconds. Bahamian Shaunae Miller won in 22.38, forcing Americans Joanna Atkins (22.54) and Alex Anderson (22.90) to settle for silver and bronze, respectively.

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