http://www.guardian.co.tt/sport/2012-06-25/bledman-baptiste-among-17-olympic-qualifiersBledman, Baptiste among 17 Olympic qualifiersPublished: Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Clayton ClarkeNational 100m champions Keston Bledman and Kelly-Ann Baptiste were among a field of 17 athletes to attain the Olympic standards in their respective events during the NGC/Sagicor National Open Track and Field Championships at the Hasely Crawford Stadium over the weekend. The group are in line for selection for this country’s contingent for the 2012 Olympics Games, which will take place in London, England from July 27 to August 12. Bledman sped to the Men’s 100m title in a personal best of 9.86 seconds and led five other sprinters under the Olympic A standard of 10.18. His time is the fifth fastest for the 2012 season and beat his previous personal best of 9.89 achieved in May. Reigning Olympic silver medallist Richard Thompson was second in 9.96 followed by Rondell Sorillo (10.03), Marc Burns (10.06), Emmanuel Callendar (10.12) and Jamol James (10.17).
In the semifinals Bledman (10.04), Sorillo (10.11) and Thompson (10.13) were all under the A mark. Bledman is now 15th on the world all-time performance list and also joint second among local sprinters with four-time Olympic medallist Ato Boldon (9.86), 0.01 behind Richard Thompson’s national mark of 9.85. Baptiste, a bronze medallist at last year’s World Championships, won her sixth national crown in the Women’s 100m in a time of 10.98. She finished ahead of Semoy Hackett (11.14), Kai Selvon (11.24) and Michelle Lee-Ahye (11.29), each of whom attained the Olympic A standard of 11.29. Fifth placed Reyare Thomas clocked 11.38, equaling the B mark. Sorillo, Selvon and Hackett were double A qualifiers. Sorillo retained the Men’s 200m in 20.48, ahead of the 20.55 standard, while Selvon defended her Women’s crown in 22.96, beating Hackett (22.98), who was also under the 23.10 A mark. In the Men’s 400m, winner Lalonde Gordon was among four quartermilers who were quicker than the Men’s 400m B standard of 45.90. Gordon took the gold 45.40 seconds, ahead of World Championships bronze medallist Renny Quow (45.60), Deon Lendore (45.74) and Jarrin Solomon (45.88). Another World Championships bronze medallist, Josanne Lucas notched the B standard in the Women’s 100m and 400m hurdles. In the Sprint Hurdles, Lucas crossed the line in 13.07, quicker than the 13.15 B mark while in the one lap Hurdles, the 2009 World Championships third place finisher was beaten into second by Janielle Bellille (56.31 to 56.39), both swifter than the 56.65 A qualifying mark. Commonwealth and Pan American Games multiple medallist Cleopatra Borel captured her eighth Women’s Shot Put crown with a distance of 17.98 (B standard-17.20).
The national Men’s 4x400m team of Quow, Gordon, Solomon and Lendore clocked a new national record of 3:00.45, which pushed the squad up to fourth on the 2012 performance list and up from 15th on the Olympic relay qualification list. The next new ranking will be released later today by the IAAF. The top 16 relay teams will qualify to run in the event in the London Olympics. Wayne Davis, Mikel Thomas and Jehue Gordon had attained the A standard in their events prior to the Championships and will also be among the athletes vying for selection. Davis (13.37) and Thomas (13.48) have gone under the A mark of 13.52 in the men’s 110m hurdles while Gordon bettered the 49.50 A standard in the Men’s 400m hurdles with a qualifying best of 48.66. Ayanna Alexander and Keshorn Walcott are the lone B qualifiers in their events. Alexander, the 2010 Commonwealth silver medallist, leapt to a national record of 14.15m in the Women’s Triple Jump, over the B standard of 14.10, while 19-year-old Walcott got over the 79.50m B mark in the Men’s Javelin with a national record distance of 80.11m. The T&T Olympic Committee (TTOC) is expected to name the national contingent within the next two weeks.
Results
A qualifiers: Men-6, Women-6
B qualifiers: Men-4, Women-3
Day One
Women100m (A-11.29/B-11.38)
A Finals (+0.6)
1 Kelly-Ann Baptiste Zenith 10.98
2 Semoy Hackett Zenith 11.14
3 Kai Selvon Air Bon Sonics 11.24
4 Michelle Lee-Ahye Unattached 11.29
5 Reyare Thomas Neon Trackers 11.38
100m Hurdles (A-13.10/B-13.15)—Wind (+1.1)
1 Josanne Lucas Tobago Falcons 13.07
Men100m (A-10.18/B-10.24)
A Finals (+1.4)
1 Keston Bledman Simplex 9.86
2 Richard Thompson Rebirth 9.96
3 Rondel Sorillo La Brea 10.03
4 Marc Burns Rebirth 10.06
5 Emmanuel Callendar Memphis 10.14
6 Jamol James Memphis 10.17
400m (A-45.30/B-45.90)
A Finals
1 Lalonde Gordon Tigers 45.40
2 Renny Quow Zenith 45.60
3 Deon Lendore Abilene Wildcats 45.74
4 Jarrin Solomon Memphis 45.88
DAY TWO
Women200m (A-23.10/B-23.30)—Wind: -1.9
1 Kai Selvon Air Bon Sonics 22.96
2 Semoy Hackett Zenith 22.96
400m Hurdles (A-55.50/B-56.65)
1 Janeil Bellille Neon Trackers 56.31
2 Josanne Lucas Tobago Falcons 56.39
Shot put (A-18.30/B-17.20)
1 Cleopatra Borel Unattached 17.98
Men200m Finals (A-20.55/B-20.65)—Wind: -1.1
1 Rondel Sorillo La Brea 20.48
4X400m (National record-3:01.05)
1 T&T 3:00.45
2 Venezuela 3:04.05
3 T&T JR 3:05.95