News18 Jul 2012


Blake sizzles 9.85 in Lucerne

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Yohan Blake (c) en route to his 9.85 victory in Lucerne (© Hanspeter Roos)

Lucerne, SwitzerlandJamaican 100m World champion Yohan Blake cruised to a winning 9.85 (+1.6 m/s) in the 100m to highlight the Spitzenleichtathletikmeeting in Lucerne on a sunny and warm Tuesday (17) evening at the Allmend Stadium.

The Jamaican star, who has been in the spotlight this year since he sensationally beat Usain Bolt in the 100 and 200m at the Jamaican Olympic Trials in Kingston where he set the world seasonal best times with 9.75 and 19.80. Blake’s 9.85 in the seventh equal fastest time so far this year.

Blake's 9.85 broke the Meeting record set two years ago by his compatriot Nesta Carter who won in 9.86 in Nottwil where the meeting was moved in 2010 due to the refurbishment of the Allmend Stadium. His 9.85 set in Lucerne is his third fastest time of the year after his 9.75 PB when he beat Bolt at the Jamaican Trials and his 9.84 clocked at George Town. Only Blake himself, Bolt (9.76 in Rome) and Justin Gatlin (9.80 at the US Trials) have run faster this year.

"My coach told me to execute the race well in my first competition since the Jamaican Trials. I am happy because there are not so many sprinters who ran faster than me today. The track was very good and the people here were very nice," said Blake, who’ll now return to the Jamaican Olympic team camp in Birmingham.

Olympic 4x100m Relay champion Michael Frater, fourth at the Jamaican Trials in 9.94, finished second in 10.00 edging out Trinidad & Tobago's Marc Burns who shared the same time.

Unheralded Young improves to 19.86 at 200m

The great night of Jamaican men's sprint was completed by a sensational 19.86 by Jason Young who improved his previous 20.42 PB by a massive 0.56 in the men's 200m. He broke the previous meeting record held by World silver medallist Walter Dix who won last year in 20.02. Young warmed up with a fast 10.06 win in the B-100m race. European 200m bronze medallist Daniel Talbot from Great Britain took the win in the men’s 200m B race in 20.52.

Jason Young’s 19.86 in Lucerne is the third fastest time of the year behind Yohan Blake’s 19.80 and Usain Bolt’s 19.83.

Jamaica claimed a winning sweep by taking the women's 100m win where Sheri Ann Brooks edged world bronze medallist Kelly Ann Baptiste from Trinidad and Tobago by 0.01 in 11.12.

Adams twice beyond 21 metres

The other Daegu World champion in the spotlight was New Zealand's triple World and reigning Olympic champion Valerie Adams who produced a superb series in the women's Shot Put capped by two throws over the 21-metres barrier. The Kiwi, who received huge support from her Swiss fans as she is based in Magglingen, opened with 20.72m and then improved to 20.91m in the second round. Then she propelled the implement twice over the 21 metres to 21.01m and 21.11m in the following two attempts. She improved her previous 21.03m seasonal best set at the Rome Golden Gala on 31 May. It was a very popular win by Adams, who is coached by Jean Pierre Egger, the coach who guided the Swiss Shot Put giant Werner Gunthor.

Williams and Crawford notch upsets

US in-form sprinter Charonda Williams, winner at the London Diamond League meeting last week, confirmed her recent good form by surprisingly beating twice 200m Olympic champion and reigning World champion Veronica Campbell-Brown 22.52 to 22.70.

The other highlight of the Lucerne meeting was the women's 100m Hurdles as London-bound Kellie Wells ran her first race since beating Australian Sally Pearson last Saturday at the London Diamond League meeting at Crystal Palace. However, it was not a good day for Wells who had to settle for third in 12.79 behind US Ginnie Crawford, who took the win in 12.61 ahead of twice European champion Nevin Yanit who ran 12.73 in her first race since her European title in Helsinki. It was revenge for Crawford who finished fourth at the US Olympic Trials in Eugene and did not make the team for London.

Ryan Wilson, third at the London Diamond League last weekend, cruised 13.32 in the 110m Hurdles edging out Jamaican NCAA Champion Andrew Riley (13.33) and US record holder David Oliver (13.38). US Tyron Akins surprisingly ran faster in the B race clocking 13.30 finishing 0.02 faster than Joel Brown.

Double World Outdoor and Indoor champion and this year's US Trials champion Brittney Reese was beaten in her first competition since her 7.15m in Eugene by Russian Olga Kucherenko who leapt to 6.83m which earned her a 7 cm win over the US star.

A best throw of 62.94m in the fifth round was enough for double European silver medallist Christina Obergfoll to clinch the win in the women's Javelin Throw ahead of Helsinki European champion Vira Rebryk who had to settle with second place with 61.04m.

Kenyan Mercy Cherono, a former 3000m and Cross Country World junior champion, set a new 3000m meeting record clocking 8:45.93 to beat the previous standard held by Norwegian distance running legend Ingrid Kristiansen (8:47:03 set in 1986). Ethiopian Buze Iriba also dipped under Kristiansen's stadium record to finish second in 8:46.85.

Kenyan Jairod Kipchoge won the men's 3000m Steeplechase unopposed in 8:16.56.

In the High Jump Bulgarian Mirela Demireva produced a clean sheet through 1.92m before clearing 1.95m in the third attempt to take the win on countback over German Marie Laurence Jungfleisch. 2007 World champion Donald Thomas from the Bahamas cleared 2.27m in his first attempt to beat Finland's Osku Torro (2.24m).

Kate Dennison from Great Britain vaulted 4.56m in her second attempt to win the women's pole vault ahead of Australian Alina Boyd (4.51m).

The women's 400m Hurdles win went to Nigerian Muizat Ajoke Odumusu in 55.12 ahead of European bronze medallist Hanna Yaroshchuk from Ukraine (55.30). Italian champion Manuela Gentili, who has been selected for the Olympic Games in London in the 4x400m Relay, won the women’s 400m Hurdles B Race in her seasonal best of 55.54.

In the pre-meeting programme Oleksiy Sokirskiy threw 78.66m to win the men's Hammer Throw. His second and third best attempts of 78.40m and 77.10m would have also earned the win as former Olympic champion Szymon Zyolkowski produced a best throw of 75.57m.

Diego Sampaolo for the IAAF
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