media_artricles :: 2013

Gordon bags 400m silver

TRINIDAD and Tobago’s Olympic Bronze medallist, sprinter Lalonde Gordon bagged silver in the men’s 400m at the British Athletics Grand Prix at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham, England yesterday.

The double Olympic bronze medallist clocked 46.73 in his first 400m race for the year but was beaten to the line by Briton’s Nigel Levine who was victorious in 46.34. Another British runner Richard Strachan was third (46.78).

Rabah Yousif of Sudan (46.94), American Calvin Smith (47.11) and Olympic 400m silver medallist Luguelin Santos of the Dominican Republic (47.14) followed Gordon to the finish. The 24 year old missed his personal best of 46.43 set last year and is expected to race next at the XL Galan Meet in Stockholm, Sweden on February 21.

Natasha Hastings of the USA claimed the women’s 400m in world leading time of 50.88 ahead of British runners Perri Shakes Drayton (51.37) and Eilidh Child (51.50).

In the feature race of the meet, the women’s 60m finals Murielle Ahoure (Ivory Coast) was the winner. The double Olympic finalist sped to the line in a African record and world leading time 0f 6.99 seconds to upset the favorites Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce of Jamaica and Carmelita Jeter (US).

Fraser-Pryce, the two-time Olympic 100m champion was beaten into second place in 7.09 in her first indoor race ever edging American Barbara Pierre for the silver as both recorded the same time. Jeter had to settle for fourth in 7.18 seconds. Michael Rodgers took the men’s 60m dash. The American raced to 6.53 to deny Caribbean sprinters Nesta Carter of Jamaica (6.56), Antoine Adams (6.60) and veteran Kim Collins (6.61) both of St. Kitts/Nevis. Britian’s double Olympic hero Mo Farah landed the men’s 3000m in 7:42.00 while Anguillan-born Shara Proctor took the women’s long jump for Great Britain with a last round effort of 6.78m.

In US Collegiate action, Deandra Daniel and Carisa Leacock struck gold. Daniel won the women’s high jump Mid Eastern Athletic Conference Championships title in Maryland.

The Coppin state freshman student leaped to a personal indoor best distance of 1.73m. Leacock (Iowa) took the women’s long jump crown at the Iowa Invitational in Iowa on Friday with a distance of 5.77m.

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