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Wednesday, May 17, 2006 Stewart
leads the world in 100m
The personal-best bug bit several Jamaicans in Conference Championships at American colleges and universities last weekend. Past student of St Jago High Kerron Stewart, now at Auburn University, was the biggest beneficiary. Opening the throttle at the Southeastern Conference (SEC) Outdoor Championships in Fayetteville, Arkansas, Stewart posted a personal best and world-leading 11.03 seconds (+1.4 m/s). The 22-year-old Stewart, who broke the seven-year-old meet record of 11.05 seconds set by Bahamian Debbie Ferguson, defeated the much-feared Trinidadian Kelly Ann Baptiste of Lousiana State University (LSU), who was second in a personal best and national record 11.08 seconds. Stewart, the 2001 World Youth Championship silver medallist, bounced American Allyson Felix (11.04sec) from the top spot in the leading women's 100 metres athletes so far in 2006. And the former St Jago student showed that her form was no fluke when she ran a personal best 22.85 for the second place in the 200 metres. American Shalonda Solomon, of the University of South Carolina, won in a personal best 22.36 seconds. Patricia Hall was eighth in 23.49 seconds. Hall, however, delivered in the 400 metres, winning in a personal best 51.77 seconds. Stewart's teammate and compatriot Jovanee Jarrett was second in the long jump in a personal best 6.51 metres and she was fourth in the triple jump in a personal best 12.94 metres. Another St Jago High past student Melaine Walker, now at the University of Texas, maintained her superb season to place second in the 100m hurdles in a personal best 12.86 seconds. Walker trailed Canadian Priscilla Lopes of Nebraska, who posted a personal record and triumphant 12.63 seconds. But in her pet event, the 400m hurdles, Walker dominated the field to win in 55.44 seconds, four seconds ahead of the second-placed Jennifer Williams, an American from Texas A&M. Ferncourt High's old girl Clora Williams, who attends Texas A&M, recorded a personal best 51.95 seconds to win the 400 metres with Jamaica's World Junior bronze medallist Sheryl Morgan, now at the University of Nebraska, finishing seventh in 54.35 seconds. Meanwhile, Jamaica College past student Sekou Clarke, of the University of Florida, made his point in the 400 metres. Clarke, whose father Michael coaches Calabar High, registered a personal best 45.82 seconds to finish second. Xavier Carter of LSU won in a personal best 45.26 seconds. In the 400m hurdles, Isa Phillips of LSU was third in 50.46 seconds. At the Georgia Tech Invitational, Tywayne Buchanan ran a personal best 47.05 seconds for third in the second race of the 400 metres, while Danieth Pryce placed fourth in the 100 metres in 11.91 seconds. Anneisha McLaughlin was third in the 200 metres, running 23.50 seconds, while Moya Thompson has improved in the 400 metres, lowering her personal best to 51.47 seconds after winning race one. Sandie Richards finished seventh in that race in 54.89 seconds. Peta-Gaye Gayle was a sixth-placed finisher in the 400m hurdles, timing 60.85 seconds. At the Big Ten Conference Championships in East Lansing, Michigan, Kaydian Douglas finished fifth in the 100 metres in 11.75 seconds and was third in the 200 metres in 24.18 seconds, with Peaches Roach fourth in 24.28 seconds. Roach was second in the high jump, clearing 1.75 metres. Camile Robinson has continued to work on her speed, placing third in the 100m hurdles in 13.70 seconds, but triumphed in the 400m hurdles in 57.79 seconds, with sister Carlene Robinson taking second in a personal best 58.15 seconds. In the Sun Belt Conference Championships in Lafayette, Louisiana, Orlando Reid of Middle Tennessee State University won the 100 metres in a personal best 10.37 seconds and the 200 metres in 20.85 seconds. Kerry Ann Stewart clocked 24.29 seconds for third in the 200 metres, with Shanna-Kaye Campbell finishing sixth in 24.53 seconds, while in the 400 metres, Campbell and Veronia Patterson took second and third in the 400 metres, in times of 54.59 and 54.66 seconds, respectively.
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