media_artricles :: 2013

Bledman, Lalonde sixth at Diamond League meet

Trinidad and Tobago’s Keston Bledman finished sixth in the men’s 100 metres dash at the Prefontaine Classic IAAF Diamond League meet, in Eugene, Oregon, USA, yesterday. He clocked a wind-assisted 10.10 seconds.

Another T&T athlete, 2008 Olympic 100m silver medallist Richard “Torpedo” Thompson was seventh in the Prefontaine century in 10.21.

American sprinters swept the top three positions. Justin Gatlin was first home, the 2004 Olympic champion stopping the clock at 9.88 seconds to finish ahead of Michael Rodgers (9.94) and Ryan Bailey (10.00).

Jamaica’s Nesta Carter (10.03), Bahamian Derrick Atkins (10.08) and another Jamaican, Kemar Bailey Cole (10.24) were fourth, fifth, and eighth, respectively.

Bledman’s best legal clocking this season is 10.14 seconds, the T&T sprinter producing that run at a meet in Florida on May 11. Two Saturdays ago, Bledman picked up bronze at the Diamond League meet in New York, in 10.16.

For Thompson, yesterday’s run was a big improvement on the 10.68 he clocked in his season-opener, at the same meet in New York. He was eighth in his qualifying heat, and did not advance to the final.

T&T’s Lalonde Gordon finished sixth in the Prefontaine Classic men’s 400m event, the Olympic bronze medallist getting home in 45.67 seconds.

American LaShawn Merritt, the 2008 Olympic gold medallist, clocked 44.32 seconds to top the one-lap field, beating reigning Olympian champion Kirani James into second spot. The Grenadian got to the line in 44.39.

Tony McQuay earned bronze in 45.31 seconds, the American finishing just ahead of Dominican Republic’s Olympic silver medallist Luguelin Santos (45.33). Belgium’s Kevin Borlee (45.56) was fifth, while Bahamian Chris Brown (45.85) and Czech Pavel Maslak (46.05) finished seventh and eighth, respectively.

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