Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce won the women’s 200m, while Rasheed Broadbell posted a world-leading time in the men’s 110m hurdles at the Velocity Fest 9 track and field meeting inside the National Stadium in Kingston on Saturday (17).
Improved SB For Fraser-Pryce
Fraser-Pryce, the multiple global championships gold medalist, clocked a comfortable 22.66 seconds (-0.2 m/s) for a season-best en route to winning the women’s 200m and improved the previous 2021 best of 23.19 she ran at the Velocity Fest 8 meeting last month.
The Elite Performance sprinter who is hoping to secure a place on the Jamaican team to the Tokyo Olympics later this summer blazed away from the field inside the opening 100m and then maintained her form and position in the home straight to win impressively.
Stephenie Ann McPherson of MVP followed Fraser-Pryce home in second place with 22.90 while Brianna Lyston of Zilac Athletics, the winner of the first section, collected third overall in 23.28.
Zharnel Hughes of Great Britain and Racers Track Club stopped the clock at a new meeting record of 20.14 seconds to secure first place in the men’s 200m. He easily lowered the previous meeting record of 20.46, which was set in 2020 by Romario Williams, who finished second on Saturday in 20.59.
Broadbell Impressed With World-Lead
Broadbell of MVP clocked a world-leading time of 13.15 seconds to better his own meeting record in the men’s 110m hurdles. The 20-year-old who entered the weekend with a PB of 13.47 seconds, improved the previous world lead of 13.22, set by fellow Jamaican and LSU senior Damion Thomas at the 2021 Texas Relays on March 27.
Commonwealth Games champion Ronald Levy of MVP was also inside the old meeting record after posting 13.43 for second place, while Orlando Bennett took third place with 13.50.
Asafa Powell, after several false starts and a shift in the heat schedule, former world record holder won his heat of the men’s 100m and looked impressive as well when running 10.48 seconds in a -2.5 m/s headwind. Powell and the rest of the field had to survive more than 4-5 false/faulty starts before the race was finally allowed to complete.
However, heat six, which featured the likes of Yohan Blake, Oblique Seville, and Miguel Francis, went off with only three competitors after several of the athletes, including the trio mentioned above, decided not to compete, following a series of callbacks.
Nigel Ellis of MVP was the overall winner with a time of 10.39 which was achieved in a -2.0 m/s headwind.
The women’s 100m went to reigning Olympic sprint double champion Elaine Thompson-Herah of MVP who clocked a modest 11.21.
Big Run From Whyte In 400m
Elsewhere at the Velocity Fest 9 meeting, Ronda Whyte, the 400m hurdles specialist from Sprintec impressively clocked 51.28 seconds to win the women’s 400m after using a strong finish to move away from the field in the closing meters. Her winning time improved Janieve Russell’s 51.67 performance from 2020, while Candice McCleod, who led entering the home straight but couldn’t hold on, was rewarded with a personal be of 51.56 in finishing second.
World and Olympic bronze medalist Shericka Jackson of MVP was fifth overall after she won her heat in 52.54. MVP’s Jamoi Jackson won the men’s 400m with 46.47.
In other results, world silver medalist Shanieka Ricketts won the women’s triple jump with a mark of 14.06m, while the men’s shot put went to national record holder O’Dayne Richards with a mark of 19.15m, and Kai Chang took the men’s discus with a measure of 62.60m.
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