Source: www.trinidadexpress.com
By: Kwame Laurence
Trinidad and Tobago sprint star Kelly-Ann Baptiste continued her fine run of form with victory in the women's 100 metres dash, at the Spitzen international meet, in Lucerne, Switzerland, yesterday.
Baptiste bolted to the line in 11.11 seconds, for a comfortable cushion on second-placed Alexandria Anderson (11.22), of the United States. Jamaica's Aleen Bailey (11.31) picked up bronze.
The triumph was the fourth for Baptiste in five 2011 outings. She opened her season on April 23 in Arkansas, USA, the 24-year-old track star winning the women's 100m in 11.56 seconds. Two weeks later, Baptiste clocked 10.94 to finish second to American Carmelita Jeter (10.86) at the Jamaica International Invitational.
On July 5, Baptiste topped the field at the Reims international meet, in France, getting home in 11.11 seconds. And three days later, the Plymouth, Tobago sprinter produced a season's best 10.91 run to grab gold at the Meeting Areva Samsung Diamond League meet, in Paris, France.
Jamaica's 2007 World Championship 100m gold medallist and two-time Olympic 200m champion Veronica Campbell-Brown was forced to settle for silver in Paris.
Baptiste is fifth on the IAAF (International Association of Athletics Federations) 2011 performance list, behind Jeter (10.70), Campbell-Brown (10.76), American Marshevet Myers (10.86) and Jamaican Kerron Stewart (10.87).
Cleopatra Borel finished fourth in the women's shot, in Lucerne. The T&T field athlete threw the iron ball 18.74 metres.
American thrower Jillian Camarena-Williams struck gold with a 19.74m heave. Germany's Nadine Kleinert (19.12m) earned silver, while another American, Michelle Carter (18.79m), bagged bronze.
Borel, who regained her Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Senior Championship women's shot put title, in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, last Sunday, is seventh on IAAF 2011 performance list, at 19.42m.