Season-best 60m run for Campbell-Brown

Raymond Graham, Gleaner Writer

Campbell-Brown

Jamaica's Veronica Campbell-Brown hit winning form on Friday night to take the women's 60 metres at the Tyson Invitational meet held at Randall Track centre in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

Campbell-Brown, who finished a close second in the event at the Millrose Games in New York last month, clocked a season-best 7.15 seconds to beat Trinidad and Tobago's Kellyann Baptiste who did 7.16. Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie of the The Bahamas was third in 7.24. Aleen Bailey, Campbell-Brown's former training partner, was fifth in 7.30.

Former Herbert Morrison sprinter, Dexter Lee, who went professional late last year became Jamaica's third-fastest male this season in the 60 metres as he clocked 6.66 to finish runner-up to American Michael Rodgers who won in 6.56. Lerone Clarke (6.57) and Ryan Shields (6.58) are the two leading Jamaican men indoors.

successful meet

It was also a successful meet for former Kingston College jumper Alain Bailey as competing at home, the Arkansas senior produced a season-best 7.99 metres to capture the men's invitational long-jump. His teammate at the Berlin World Championships last year, Nicholas Gordon of Nebraska University (7.85m), took second spot while another former Kingston College jumper, Tarik Batchelor, who also competes for Arkansas University ended fourth with 7.44m.

National female long jump champion, Jovanee Jarrett, also tuned up for next month's World Indoor Championship in Doha with a season-best 6.44m in her pet event to finish fourth as American Brittney Reese won with 6.63m.

The opening night of competition was highlighted by two world-leading indoor times in the women's and men's 400 metres. In the women's event, Natasha Hasting of the United States clocked 51.67 seconds to top the previous best of 51.85 by Bulgaria's Vernia Stanbolova. In the men's section, the University of Georgia sophomore Terrin Lawrence stopped the clock at 45.03 seconds to go well under the previous best of 45.79, set a week ago by Grenada's World Youth champion Kirani James.

Barbados' world 110m hurdles champion Ryan Braitwaite won the men's 60m hurdles event in 7.64 seconds with Canada's Perdita Felicien taking the women's race in 8.01. Jamaica's Andrea Bliss was fifth in 8.44.