Thompson leads T&T charge at Jamaica meet (08/05/11)

Source: www.guardian.co.tt

Story by: Clayton Clarke

Double Olympic silver medallist Richard Thompson, is among five T&T athletes signed to compete at the Jamaica International Invitational Track and Field Meeting at the National Stadium, Kingston, Jamaica later today. National record holders Kelly-Ann Baptiste, Aleesha Barber, Ayanna Alexander and Jamaal James are this country’s other representatives. Thompson will face the starter in the men’s 100-metre sprint and will be hoping to improve on his third place finish last year when he clocked 10.25 seconds. The reigning national double sprint champion will be up against former winner American Davis Patton and another US sprinter Mike Rodgers, who clocked 9.96 in March.

Local runners Yohan Blake and Michael Frater will be striving to give their home fans a victory. Thompson opened his season with a windy 9.91 seconds victory in Louisiana, USA on March 23 and will be hoping to capitalise on the absence of top trio, World and Olympic record holder Usain Bolt of Jamaica and his compatriot, former record holder Asafa Powell and 2007 triple world champion Tyson Gay (USA). Baptiste will do battle against the world’s best sprinters when she lines up in the women’s 100m.

She will be looking to continue on her 2010 form when she reduced her national record to an outstanding 10.84 seconds. The Double Continental Cup winner will match strides with the inform American sprinter Carmelita Jeter, who has the quickest time in the world (10.99) and Jamaicans Kerron Stewart and Sherone Simpson. The line-up also includes Marshevet Hooker (USA) and another Jamaican pair, Aleen Bailey and Simone Facey. Barber will contest the women’s 100m hurdles. In 2010 Barber lowered her national record to 12.85 seconds last year and struck gold at the Central American and Caribbean Games (CAC) in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico. Alexander will be hoping to extend her unbeaten streak this season with her most recent win coming at the Penn Relays one week ago.

The reigning Commonwealth Games silver medallist in the shot put, took the Olympic Development event in Pennsylvania, USA in a wind assisted 13.47m. The national indoor and outdoor record holder will be seeking to improve her 2011 best distance of 13.60m and is currently ranked 19th in the world. James, the national junior 800m record holder (1:47:00) will contest the men’s two-lap event. 2009 World championships 400m-hurdles bronze medallist Josanne Lucas was scheduled to defend her one lap hurdles title but withdrew because of injury.