Olympic 400m champion Steven Gardiner comfortably won the men’s 200 meters for a second successive season to open his outdoor campaign at the 2022 16th Annual Spring Break Classic on Friday (18). Read more: Three life lessons learned from the world of track and field 2021
Gardiner, who won this event last season and set a meeting record in the process, came close to that mark Friday night when he posted 20.28 seconds (0.6 m/s) to take the first heat in the timed final.
The Bahamian who owns the meeting record with 20.24 secs, comfortably put away Matthew Hudson-Smith of Great Britain who followed home in second place with a time of 20.97. The two quarter-milers were the only two men below 21.00 seconds at the meeting.
Gardiner is preparing to defend the World Athletics Championships 400m title he won in Doha in 2019 at Oregon 2022 later this summer.
The 26-year-old will be seeking to win a third successive major championships title after he also ran away with the men’s 400m crown at the Tokyo Olympics in Japan last summer.
It was the third individual race this season for Gardiner, following a pair of 300m appearances during the indoor campaign – one in which he produced a world indoor 300m all-time best of 31.56 seconds.
Meanwhile, the women’s 200m at the 2022 16th Annual Spring Break Classic went to Olympic 100m hurdles champion Jasmine Camacho-Quinn, who smashed the meeting record and came very close to breaking the Puerto Rican national record.
Camacho-Quinn blazed to a world-leading 22.27 seconds to dominate the event and smashed Tamari Davis’ 22.63 previous meeting record from 2021.
However, the 25-year-old just missed breaking the national record of 22.23 secs, set by Carol Rodriguez in 2006.
16th Annual Spring Break Classic selected results
Men’s 200m
Finals
1 Steven Gardiner Adidas 19.75 20.28# 0.6 1
2 Matthew Hudson-Smith Great Britain 20.32 20.97 0.6 1
3 Ezequiel Suarez UAGM 21.03 21.34 0.6 1
4 Wanyae Belle Bvi Unattached 21.49 21.52 0.7 2
5 Khybah Dawson Bvi Unattached 21.16 21.55 0.6 1
6 Youry Tapande Ngombe Albany 21.64 21.62 0.7 2
7 Donatien Djero Northeastern 21.18 21.64 0.6 1
8 Justin Olivencia UAGM 21.91 21.69 0.4 3
Women’s 200m
Finals
1 Jasmine Camacho-Quinn Puerto Rico 22.21 22.27@ 1.2 1
2 Marileydi Paulino Republica Domini 22.86 22.70 1.2 1
3 Dezerea Bryant Nike 22.18 23.18 1.2 1
4 Gabby Scott Fapur 23.22 23.52 1.2 1
5 Akrisa Eristee Bvi Unattached 24.32 24.13 1.2 1
6 Skyler Franklin Empire Athletics 23.89 24.36 1.2 1
7 Andrea Ocasio Interamericana 24.90 24.45 1.8 2
8 Imani Gray Albany 24.64 24.46 1.8 2
