Source: www.guardian.co.tt
Written by: Clayton Clarke
Commonwealth Games triple jump silver medallist, Ayanna Alexander was in winners’ row for the third straight meet, as she grabbed gold at the New Balance Collegiate Invitational on Saturday at the Armory Track and Field Centre in New York, USA. Alexander topped the women’s triple jump field with a best leap of 13.52m beating Arina Gerasinova-Jeanty (12.64m) and Jennifer Gurrantt (12.64m). The national indoor (13.99) and outdoor (13.96) record holder opened her 2011 season with a win at the Father Diamond Invitational in Fairfax Virginia, on January 8 leaping to 13.61m, her best jump for the season.
Alexander, a 2010 Central American and Caribbean Games bronze medallist, then beat her competitors at the Hokie Invitational in Blackburg Virginia on January 22 with a leap of 13.54m. At the 19th Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, India, last October Alexander was second in the women’s triple jump final with a distance of 13.91 metres.
Kyron Blaise almost made it a double win for T&T at the New Balance Collegiate when he was second in the men’s triple jump. Competing for Louisiana State University, Blaise leaped to a season’s best of 16.21 metres. He was denied gold by Samyr Laine, who won with 16.28m. Blaise’s new season best mark pushes the national junior recorder holder to 37th on the 2011 IAAF World indoor rankings.
The 2008 double Carifta champion was just off his personal best of 16.29 m which he established in Texas, on February 6 last year. Quarter-miler Jarrin Solomon opened his season with a win in the men’s 400m at the New Mexico Classic in Albuquerque, New Mexico, also on Saturday. Solomon, who represented T&T at the 2010 World Indoor Championships in Doha, Qatar, clocked 46.79 to top Heat One, recording the fastest time of the two races. Solomon, a 2010 CAC men’s 4x400m relay bronze medallist, beat Williams Henry (47.68) and Tanner Hunt (48.34) for the top prize. His winning time just off his personal best of 46.55 set in 2009. The University of New Mexico graduate is now at number eight on the IAAF World indoor rankings.
South Plains College student, Janeil Bellille was second in the women’s 55m hurdles finals at the Texas Tech Open in Lubbock. The 2008 World Junior women’s 400m hurdles silver medallist completed the race in 7.93 seconds, missing out on the top spot which was taken by Kelsey Lloyd (7.83). In the heats, Bellille was again second to Lloyd clocking 7.91. Bellille, a former double Carifta champion, was fifth in the women’s 200m clocking 24.50 seconds. Finishing just ahead of her was her schoolmate and compatriot Sparkle Mc Knight (24.32). Mc Knight was sixth in the 55m flat finals in 7.22, after clocking the seventh fastest time of 7.23 seconds in the heats. Another South Plains student, Kervin Morgan was 13th overall in the men’ 200m finals. The 2005 World Youth medley relay silver medallist finished third in heat six in 22.64 seconds. At the Meyor Invitational at the Loftus Centre, South Bend, Indiana, (February 5), Aleena Brooks was second in the women’s 400m. Brooks, 800m semifinalist at the 2010 World Junior Championships, clocked 54.51 seconds to finish behind Ashley Kelly (53.59). Brooks’ schoolmate Nyoka Giles was tenth overall in the women’s 200m. Giles finished fourth in the first heat in 24.95 seconds.
University of Wisconsin hurdler Durell Busby was seventh in the men’s 60 hurdles final clocking 8.24 seconds. In the preliminaries the former national junior men’s 110m hurdles record holder was ninth in 8.28 seconds as the top 12 advanced to the finals. In relay action, Zwede Hewitt helped his Baylor University 4x400m team to third at the New Balance Collegiate. The 2007 Carifta boys Under-20 400m champion and his team-mates (Whitney Prevost, James Gilreath and Marcus Boyd) completed the event in three minutes, 7.12 seconds to finish behind Texas A&M and Arkansas. Another Baylor student, multiple Carifta champion, Garvin Nero was part of his school’s 4x800m relay squad which finished sixth (7:35:75).