Athletics
Ten Jamaican Take-Aways From JIIM 2016
Photo; Asafa Powell wins the Men’s 200m at the Jamaica International Invitational Meet on Saturday.
Elaine Thompson’s wind-aided victory in the Women’s 100m of 10.71s – Thompson, the World Championship silver medalist from Beijing defender her JIIM 100m title in fine style.
Javon Francis’s stellar performance in the Mens 400m – Francis ran a well timed race to win in 44.85s, the best performance by a Jamaican over the distance this season.
Janieve Russell’s personal best run in the Women’s 400m hurdles – Russell is staking a real claim as the new 400m hurdles queen in Jamaica, following a brilliant run to win easily in a personal best time of 54.61 seconds. That time now ranks her second best in the world behind Great Britain’s Eilidh Doyle who ran a world-leading 54.53 seconds at the Diamond League meeting in Doha on Friday.
Jaheel Hyde’s brave run in the 400m hurdles – UWI student Jaheel Hyde showed that he can run with the big boys, when he finished second, running out of lane seven, in a time of 49.16s, beaten only by Jeffery Gibson of the Bahamas who crossed the line in 48.96.
Kenia Sinclair is back – After a three year absence due to injury, Sinclair returned to the track in the 1500m where she clocked 4:17.13 to finish fourth.
Danielle Williams runs fast – Despite finishing third, World Champion Williams ran a fast, but wind-aided time of 12.55 seconds to kick start her outdoor season at JIIM. She finished behind the American duo of Brianna Rollins (12.52) and Queen Harrison (12.54) in a blanket finish.
Demish Gaye of GC Foster shows consistency – Intercollegiate Champion Gaye, showed consistency by winning the Men’s Development 400m in 45.61s to show that he will be a force to be reckoned with come Trials in June.
Ristannana Tracey runs a seasons best– Having struggled through illness and injuries for the past few seasons, Tracey produced a season’s best performance of 55.31 seconds after finishing second to Janieve Russell on Saturday.
Kemar Bailey-Cole returns to form – Ravaged by injury last year after appearing ready to take his place at the World Championships in Beijing, the Commonwealth 100m champion produced a decent 10.01s to win ahead of pre-race favourites Tyson Gay and Mike Rodgers of the USA.
Asafa Powell wins the Men’s 200m – The Sub-10 King at 100m, has recently added the half lap event; Powell held off a relatively strong field to win in 20.45 seconds. The former record holder crossed the line to thunderous applause and cheers from his legion of fans in the stands.