Olympic 400 meters champion Steven Gardiner will open his 2022 outdoor season at the 16th Annual Spring Break Classic which will take place at the Basilio Rodriguez Stadium in Carolina, Puerto Rico from Friday (18) to Saturday (19).
As part of his preparations for the Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, Gardiner won here last year in dominating fashion on his way to setting a meeting record time of 20.24 seconds. Follow live results and updates | Meeting Records | Schedule
The Bahamian star will be hoping for a similar performance at this year’s edition as he continues his preparations to defend his world title at the World Athletics Championships in Oregon, later this summer. Read more: World Athletics Indoor Championships 2022 final entry lists released
Gardiner heads into the meet here this weekend on pretty good form, having posted a scorching a 31.56 seconds to set a world indoor 300m best time at the South Carolina Invitational in Columbia on January 28 during his brief indoor campaign, which included a pair of 300m races. Read more:
On Friday, the 26-year-old who owns a 200m PB of 19.75 seconds, which was set in 2018, will go up against the likes of fellow 400m specialists in Matthew Hudson-Smith of Great Britain and Jamaica’s Nathon Allen, who will be hoping for a smooth championship season after injuries ruined his campaign last year.
The women’s 200m event as also attracted some good talents, with Olympic 100m hurdles champion Jasmine Camacho-Quinn of Puerto Rico listed among the athletes down to face the starter.
Camacho-Quinn, who has been concentrating on the longer sprint events during the indoor season, where she set a national record of 22.54 seconds for the 200m and clocked a PB of 36.52 over the 300m, will continue her preparations for the outdoor world championships with another half lap race at the 16th Annual Spring Break Classic.
American 2019 world championships 5th place finisher, Dezerea Bryant, comes in as the fastest entrants with a PB of 22.18 secs, but the head-to-head battle with Camacho-Quinn should be close if they both performed at their respective best, given that the latter’s lifetime mark is 22.21.
Elsewhere at the meeting, USA’s Tamari Davis returns to the Basilio Rodriguez Stadium, but will race in the 100m this time instead of defending her 200m title, while Olympic semi-finalist Damion Thomas of Jamaica will start as the featured competitor in the men’s 110m hurdles.
