media_artricles :: 2018

Walters 6th in NCAA sprint hurdles

Ruebin Walters finished sixth in the men's 110 metres hurdles final at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Eugene, Oregon, USA, on Friday. The University of Alabama senior got to the line in 13.95 seconds.

Americans Grant Holloway and David Kendziera finished one-two. Holloway, representing University of Florida, clocked 13.42 seconds for the victory, while Kendziera, a student at University of Illinois, produced a 13.43 run. Jamaican Damion Thomas picked up bronze for Louisiana State University (LSU) in 13.45.

Walters was the fastest man on show in Wednesday's semifinal round, winning heat two in 13.38 seconds. However, the Trinidad and Tobago sprint hurdler was unable to reproduce that fine effort in the championship race, and had to settle for sixth.

Texas A&M University sophomore, Infinite Tucker got home in 50.76 seconds for eighth spot in the men's 400m hurdles final. The T&T athlete clocked 49.84 in Wednesday's semis.

Antiguan Rai Benjamin was on fire in the championship race, the University of Southern California (USC) junior stopping the clock at 47.02 seconds to run away with gold. With the jaw-dropping run, Benjamin became the joint second fastest one-lap hurdler in history, alongside American track legend Edwin Moses. Only American Kevin Young, the world record holder at 46.78, has gone faster.

University of Georgia captured the men's team title with 52 points. Florida (42) and Houston (35) were second and third, respectively. Alabama finished fifth with 33 points, while Texas A&M earned 29 points for seventh spot. Dwight St Hillaire's University of Kentucky accumulated 16 points to finish 16th.

On Friday, Tyra Gittens competed in the first four disciplines of the women's heptathlon. The Texas A&M freshman clocked 13.31 seconds in the 100m hurdles, cleared 1.72 metres in the high jump, threw 12.42m in the shot put, and got home in 24.83 in the 200m. She followed up with a 6.14m leap in yesterday's long jump, as well as a 37.17m throw in the javelin.

Gittens faced the starter in the seventh and final discipline, the 800m, after press time, last night. Going into the two-lap race, the T&T athlete was in third spot with 5,054 points. Also on show late yesterday were Kentucky's Kayelle Clarke in the women's 4x100m and 4x400m events, LSU student Zakiya Denoon in the women's 4x4, and Alabama's Portious Warren in the women's discus.

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