NASSAU, Bahamas – Americans LaShawn Merritt and Tori Bowie each recorded world-leading time over the 200m at the 2016 Chris Brown Invitational at the Thomas A. Robinson Stadium in Nassau on Saturday.
Merritt, a quarter-mile speciallist who has been working a lot on his speed since the start of the outdoor season, showed that things are coming along very well after he produced a new personal best and 2016 best time of 19.78 seconds (+0.9m/s) seconds to win the men’s race.
His time bettered the 20.16 of Sudan’s Ahmed Ali, who had replaced Merritt on the world-leading list when he lowered the 20.23secs the American ran in Florida at the end of last month.
The 29-year-old Merritt ran a steady opening 200m stay within touching distance of the field before impressively putting away his fellow countrymen Wallace Spearmon and Mike Rodgers in the homestretch to race home comfortably.
Spearmon was a distant second in 20.40 and Rodgers took third in 20.42.
The women’s race went to IAAF World Championships 100m bronze medallist Bowie of USA and she stopped the clock at 22.26 secs — running into a slight headwind.
Bowie lowered the previous 2016 world-leading time of Australian Ella Nelson, who had dropped 22.53secs.
London Olympic champion Kirani James was an easy winner in the men’s 400m race.
The Grenadian national record holder crossed the finishing line in a world-leading 44.36 seconds, which lowered the previous year best of 44.41, set in Tempe, on 9 April by another Grenadian star, Bralon Taplin.
Tony McQuay of USA ran 45.34 for second place behind Merritt while former world and Olympic champion Jeremy Wariner of USA ran home third in the heat in 45.55.
Wariner’s time was the fourth fastest overall, though, as USA’s Kyle Clemons won the B race in 45.48.
Shaunae Miller sizzled to stunning 49.70 to capture the women’s 400m and improved the world-leading time of Caster Semenya, who ran 50.74 earlier in the day when winning at the South African National Championships.
Miller, the IAAF World Championships silver medallist in this event at the Bird’s Nest in Beijing, China, last summer, defeated American Mousham Robinson, who ran 49.91 and another USA sprinter, Ashley Spencer (51.35).
Elsewhere at the 2016 Chris Brown Invitational, Trinidad and Tobago’s Michelle-Lee Ahye won a very close women’s 100m event in 11.16 ahead of Murielle Ahoure from the Ivory Coast (11.16) and Jamaica’s Veronica Campbell-Brown (11.18).
USA’s Queen Harris captured the women’s 100m hurdles with a time of 12.64 seconds, with Sharika Nelvis (12.66) and and Jasmine Stowers (12.72) completing the American top three sweep.
The Americans swept the podium places in the men’s 110m hurdles, with David Oliver taking victory in 13.30 ahead of countrymen Jason Richardson (13.32) and Aleec Harris.
