media_artricles :: 2015

HISTORIC FINAL

Ahye 5th, Baptiste 6th in century

Michelle-Lee Ahye and Kelly-Ann Baptiste combined for 11 seconds of history at the Bird's Nest Stadium, here in Beijing, China, yesterday.

For the very first time, two female athletes from Trinidad and Tobago appeared in the same IAAF World Championship final. Ahye clocked 10.98 seconds to grab fifth spot in the women's 100 metres championship race, finishing just ahead of Baptiste, who got home in 11.01 for sixth.

The significance of the statistic was not lost on Ahye.

“Me and Kelly-Ann in that final, it was epic.”

Ahye and Baptiste became only the second T&T pair to compete in the same final at the global meet. At the 2009 Championships, in Berlin, Germany, Richard “Torpedo” Thompson and Marc Burns were fifth and seventh, respectively, in the men's 100m dash.

Yesterday, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce stormed to victory in 10.76 seconds for her third IAAF World Championship women's 100m title. The Jamaican sprint great pointed to the sky as she crossed the line. Dafne Schippers also had reason to celebrate, the Dutch sprinter capturing silver in a national record time of 10.81. American Torie Bowie, meanwhile, clocked 10.86 to claim bronze, ahead of Jamaica's Veronica Campbell-Brown (10.91).

In the semi-final round, Baptiste finished second in heat two in 10.90 seconds to advance automatically to the final, while Ahye clocked a season's best 10.97 for third spot in heat three and a championship race berth as a “fastest loser”. The third T&T sprinter, Semoy Hackett was eliminated after finishing fifth in the opening heat in 11.13.

Baptiste did not race for the entire 2014 season, a 21-month doping ban forcing her out of competition until early this year. The 28-year-old sprinter told the Express it was very satisfying to reach the World Championship final in her comeback season.

“I went out there believing anything could happen, that I could have possibly gotten a medal or won, but it wasn't fate for me today. But I'm really excited. It was a rough season because of me not racing last year, so coming here and running three rounds was my body getting back into the groove of things. I feel proud of my performance. It's really big for me to come here and make the final.

“My semi-final run,” Baptiste continued, “took a little bit out of me, but I'm still very happy with my place. Sometimes, your body feels a certain way but mentally you try to tough it out. But I could definitely tell in my warm-up for the final that I was a little bit tired. I shook it off and I figured I might as well go for it.”

For Baptiste, yesterday's 100m final was not a new experience. She bagged bronze in the event at the 2011 World Championships, and finished sixth in the 2012 Olympic century final. Twenty-three-year-old Ahye, on the other hand, had never before appeared in a major global outdoor final.

“I'm happy for Michelle,” said Baptiste, “and I'm happy that Trinidad and Tobago's women's sprinting is in the mix, is on the scene.”

Ahye was hoping for a podium finish in yesterday's final.

“I'm satisfied,” she told the Express, “but I was looking to do better than that. But it's my first time. I have plenty more to come, so I'm not worried about it.

“We're definitely going to be on that podium for the 4x1,” Ahye declared. “Turn up time now!”

Hackett was not a finalist yesterday, but was buoyed by her season's best 11.13 semi-final clocking.

“The faster I go in the 100 normally boosts my confidence for the 200, and I'm satisfied with what I've produced so far. Hopefully in the 200 I'm able to execute a proper race and make the final.”

If she does make it to the championship round, Hackett would join Ahye and Baptiste in the T&T history books, for never before has a T&T athlete run in a women's half-lap final at the IAAF World Championships.

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