Source: www.guardian.co.tt
Kelly Ann Baptiste continued her impressive season with a second-place finish in the women’s 100m final at the Samgung Diamond League Aviva Grand Prix in Crystal Palace, London, England, yesterday. Baptiste clocked 10.97 seconds but was beaten to the line by American Carmelita Jeter, who was first in 10.93s. The T&T national 100m and 200m record holder was seeking her second Diamond League triumph after her win in Paris on July 8 but could not stop Jeter, who has the fastest time in the world of 10.70s. However, Baptiste had the satisfaction of getting to the line ahead of the reigning World and Olympic champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (Jamaica), who was third in 11.10s. Jeter took an early lead in the race with Fraser-Pryce just behind but Baptiste finished strongly to take the runner-up spot ahead of the Jamaican with her compatriot Schillonie Calvert (11.23s) in fourth.
African champion Nigerian Blessing Okagbare (11.25s) was fifth with American Alexander Anderson (11.26), Aleen Bailey of Jamaica (11.36s) and Bulgurian Ivet Lalova (11.38s) following behind. Jeter, Baptiste and Fraser-Pryce are expected to clash again at the World Championships in Daegu, South Korea from August 27 to September 4. In the preliminaries contested earlier in the day, Baptiste topped heat one in 11.22s ahead of Fraser-Pryce while Jeter took heat two in 11s. Jehue Gordon registered his first top-three finish on the Diamond League, taking third in the men’s 400m hurdles in 49.47s. The reigning World Junior champion was beaten to the line by Javier Culson of Puerto Rico (48.33s) and American Michael Tinsley (48.90s). Gordon crossed the line in fourth but moved up one spot after two-time Olympic Olympic champion Angelo Taylor (USA) was disqualified after originally finishing in second for a trial leg violation. The 19-year-old finished ahead of Great Britain’s Rhys Williams (49.72s), American Justin Gaymon (50.09s), former World and Olympic champion Felix Sanchez of the Dominican Republic (50.23s) and Richard Davenport of Great Britain (50.57s). Gordon set a season best of 48.92s in winning at the Hampton Games on July 24.
Cleopatra Borel was fifth in the Women’s Shot Put. The two-time Commonwealth medallist had a best of 18.56m, which she achieved in the fifth round. She ended the competition with 18.49m to record two throws over the World Championships qualifying standard of 18.30m. World and Olympic queen Valarie Vili (New Zealand) was again unstoppable, taking the gold with 20.07m with each of her six throws better than silver medallist Nadezhda Ostapchuk of Belarus (19.52). Germans Nadine Kleinert (19.06) and Christina Schwanitz (18.80) also finished ahead of Borel Brown.