Trinidad and Tobago’s Lalonde Gordon sent out a stern warning to his Commonwealth Games rivals with a fast run at the International Meeting, in Guadeloupe, on Saturday.
The double Olympic bronze medallist clocked 44.91 seconds for victory in the men’s 400 metres, beating Bahamian Olympic 4x4 gold medallists, Ramon Miller (45.21), Chris Brown (45.23) and Demetrius Pinder (45.59) into second, third and fourth, respectively.
Another T&T runner, Jarrin Solomon was seventh in 46.24 seconds.
The 44.91 run--Gordon’s 2014 400m outdoor opener--earned him seventh spot on this season’s world outdoor performance list, one spot behind his fellow-T&T athlete, Deon Lendore (44.90). The reigning world champion and 2008 Olympic gold medallist, American LaShawn Merritt is the world leader at 44.44.
Michelle-Lee Ahye was also in fine form on Saturday in Guadeloupe. Running into a 1.8 metres per second headwind, the T&T sprinter stopped the clock at 11.17 seconds to strike gold in the women’s 100m, the impressive dash moving her into 11th spot on the 2014 performance list.
American Tori Bowie (11.26) was second, while third spot went to Jamaica’s Schillonie Calvert (11.44).
T&T’s Mikel Thomas finished fourth in the men’s 110m hurdles in 14.01 seconds. American Dominic Berger got home in 13.48 for an easy victory, ahead of 18-year-old French hurdler Wilhem Belocian (13.78), and another Frenchman, 2005 world champion Ladji Doucoure (13.79).
At the Florida State University (FSU) Twilight meet, in Florida, USA, T&T’s Kai Selvon captured the women’s 100m title in 11.29 seconds.
In Virginia, Ade Alleyne-Forte clocked 46.66 for sixth spot in the American Track League men’s 400m.
At the Sun Belt Conference Championships, in Texas, Kashef Daniel cleared the bar at 2.15 metres to equal the T&T men’s high jump record, the effort earning the Arkansas State University student gold. Daniel and Kevin Huggins share the national record. Huggins established the standard back in 2007, while Daniel matched his jump in February this year.
In Pennsylvania, Steve Waithe won the Jim Thorpe Open men’s triple jump event, the Pennsylvania State University student producing a 15.74m effort.
At the Eastern Illinois University (EIU) Last Chance Twilight meet, in Eastern Illinois, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee athlete Durell Busby topped the men’s 110m hurdles field in 13.56 seconds.
In Maryland, Coppin State University’s Haysean Cowie-Clarke emerged victorious in the Coppin State Invitational men’s 100m dash in 10.65 seconds.
Hilenn James triumphed in the Georgia Invitational women’s shot put with a 15.35m throw. She also won the discus, the University of Georgia student landing the implement 51.00m.
At the Oxy Invitational, in California, Magnolia Howell produced a 54.88 seconds run for bronze in the women’s 400m.
Emmanuel Callender finished fifth in the men’s 200m, at the National Training Centre (NTC) Pure Athletics Sprint Elite Meet, in Florida. The T&T sprinter clocked a wind-assisted 21.20 seconds. Callender also competed in the 100m “B” final, finishing sixth in 10.51. And Geronne Black was sixth in the women’s 100m “B” final, getting to the line in 11.58 seconds.