Bledman blazes to 9.89 in Florida.

[Flex]

Bledman blazes to 9.89 in Florida.
By: Clayton Clarke (Guardian).

Keston Bledman continued his impressive 2012 season clocking a personal best of 9.89 seconds in the men’s 100m at the Adidas Golden South Classic in Orlando, Florida on Saturday. Bledman improved his previous pb of 9.93 which he ran in 2011. The 2005 World Youth bronze medallist sped to the sensational time in topping the preliminaries but opted out of the finals.

Bledman took heat two, ahead of the Jamaican pair of Ramon Mc Kenzie (10.31) and Oshane Bailey (10.32). Another Jamaican Nickel Ashmeade was first to the line in the first heat in 10.01 ahead of USA’s Travis Padgett (10.11). In the finals Ashmeade sped to gold in 9.97. Bledman’s time improves his previous 2012 best of 10.06 and is the sixth quickest of the year behind world record holder Usain Bolt of Jamaica (9.82), another Jamaican, World Champion Yohan Blake (9.84), American Justin Gatlin (9.87) and Asafa Powell of Jamaica (9.88).
 
He is now 24th on the World all time listing along with Padgett, Darvis Patton (USA) and Ngonidzashe Makusha of Zimbabwe. 

Semoy Hackett was also in ripping form, zooming to a national women’s 200m mark of 22.55 at the NCAA East Regionals, in Jacksonville, Florida on Saturday. She achieved the time in winning heat two in the quarterfinals. Hackett broke the old mark of 22.60 set by her Tobagonian colleague Kelly-Ann Baptiste set back in 2009. The mark is well under the Olympic A standard of 23.10 and also betters her previous best of 22.75 which she ran in captured the 2010 NCAA Division two half lap title.

In the heats, Hackett clocked 23.05, also an Olympic A time. Kai Selvon finished sixth quickest in the quarters with a season’s best time of 23.01. She also dipped under the Olympic mark. Both returned to help their schools in the 4X100m. LSU was the fastest qualifier in 43.26, with Auburn in sixth (44.18) and Florida International, with T’Keyah Demoy on anchor, in 11th (45.05). The top 12 qualified for the 2012 NCAA Division 1 Championships in Des Moines, Iowa from June 6 to 9.
 
In the men’s 4x100 heats, Shermund Allsop and Jamol James were on their schools’ qualifying teams. Allsop’s LSU was fourth fastest (39.51) while James paced Tennesse  to  fifth overall (39.66). Ade Alleyne-Forte (LSU) and Emanuel Mayers (Mississippi State) will make the trip to Des Monies after LSU topped the men’s 4X400m heats (3:02.20) with Mississippi State in third (3:04.61). Allsop failed to book a spot in the men’s 200m after he finished in 15th in the quarterfinals in a personal best time of 20.71. He improved on his previous best of 20.85. Robert Collingwood (South Mississippi) was 25th in the men’s shot put qualifiers with a throw of 17.52 (season’s best), missing out on a top 12 spot.

Deon Lendore, Zwede Hewitt and Nyoka Giles were on their schools’ relay outfits which were among the qualifiers. Lendore anchored Texas A&M to third place in the men’s 4X400m heats in 3:04.30 with Hewitt’s Baylor in sixth (3:07.17. Lendore ran his leg under 45 seconds.  Giles pushed Minnesota to seventh in the women’s 4X100m qualifiers in 44.43. In the women’s 4X400m event Minnesota was 19th in 3:41.88. Iowa’s Carisa Leacock was 31th in the 31th in the women’s triple jump qualifying round in 12.27. Only the top 12 advanced.

[Socapro]

http://www.guardian.co.tt/sport/2012-06-26/bledman-continues-fine-form-ahead-olympics

Bledman continues fine form ahead of Olympics
…Thompson dethroned, but still confident
Published: Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Newly crowned men’s 100m national champion Keston Bledman attributed his close relationship with God and hard training in winning the event final at the NAAA Sagicor/NGC National Open Track and Field Championship at the Hasely Crawford Stadium on Saturday night. Bledman just missed out on equalling the national record, set by Richard Thompson at last year’s Championships, by one-hundredth of a second when he blazed to glory in a personal best of 9.86 seconds, which is the fifth fastest time for 2012. Bledman signalled a clear warning that he was walking away with nothing less than a victory, in producing his fastest time ever in a semifinal in 10.04 seconds.
 
Speaking to the T&T Guardian about his performances for the day, Bledman said he came in confident about his abilities and to put his best foot forward, “I planned on not taking anything easy. I came out here confident and…to put my best foot forward. (I’ve made some) good times. Today is the fastest that I’ve ever run in a semifinal so I’m very proud of that. I said to myself ‘I trained hard and I have to come and deliver’. I thank God for everything, I talk to Him everyday and every night. I just go out there and do what He told me to do.” Asked if he was perturbed by the intermittent rainy weather, the 24-year-old said he came prepared to brave any kind of weather, “That’s nature, that’s God’s work, you can’t really stop that. All you could do is pray and ask God to guide you through and come through without any injury. I came prepared for any kind of weather.”
 
Bledman has been enjoying a superb season, having dipped under ten seconds multiple times for the year already, and plans on continuing his fine form as he gears up for the London Games. Defending and three-time national 100m champ, Richard “Torpedo” Thompson, had to settle for second with his 9.96 time. The 2008 double Olympic silver medallist congratulated his dethroner and said that although he would have liked to retain his title, he still found satisfaction in making his first sub ten clocking for the season. “The winner was worthy. He is a great competitor and has a lot talent. He ran a great race today and I am not surprised of the way he ran. I know there were a lot of people on the outside who doubted (me) but, I have faith in my abilities and also I have faith in God. I came second but I wanted to defend my title. (However) I am very pleased with my time, it being my first sub ten for the season.”
 
The “Torpedo”, who has been struggling to get under the ten-second barrier this year, told reporters that he knows he still has what it takes to give a good showing at the Olympics, “I am confident because once you do it once, you can do it again. I have faith in my abilities. I feel I can run with anyone and beat anyone regardless of what I have done for the year (so far).” A new champion was also crowned in the men’s 400m, as Lalonde Gordon crossed the finish line in 45.40 seconds to steal the title from Renny Quow (45.60). Speaking after his victory, Gordon told the T&T Guardian that the win felt great. Asked if he ever thought he would achieve such a feat, the 23-year-old answered: “Yes. I’ve been training hard for the last few months, I just think I need to train a little more again. It wasn’t my best (time)…but I’m still happy with it.” Deon Lendore (45.74) and Jarrin Solomon (45.88) secured third and fourth in the event. The top four 400m finishers later combined their speed and endurance skills to set a new national record of 3:00.45 in the 4x400m relay on the following and final day of the national championships. Gordon, Quow, Solomon along with Jereem Richards formed T&T’s 4x400m relay team that won bronze at the 2012 IAAF World Indoor Championships in March.

[vb]

Just curious, has RT in the last 18 months only run sub 10s in TT??

VB

[Socapro]

Just curious, has RT in the last 18 months only run sub 10s in TT??

VB

I believe so but if he intends to make the 100m final in London and press for a medal then he will definitely have to run some more sub-10s on his way there and maybe even run a new PB so let’s see if he can peak at the right time in an Olympic year.