Nesta Carter scorches to a 9.86 victory in Notwil (© Lorenzo Sampaolo)
Nottwil, SwitzerlandJamaican Nesta Carter, Olympic 4x100m Relay champion, stole the show at the 24th edition of the Spitzenleichtathletik meeting in Nottwil on Sunday (8) with an amazing meeting record of 9.86 in the men’s 100m.
Carter edged out Olympic 100 and 200m bronze medallist Walter Dix by 0.02. It was a new PB for Carter who clocked his previous lifetime best of 9.91 last September in Shanghai. Dix, the US 100m champion, also clocked a new career best with 9.88 which improved his previous best set at the Beijing Olympic Games with 9.91.
“It was a pretty good race, I expected 9.9 but 9.86 was a big surprise,” Carter said. “I don’t put any limits on myself.” The young Jamaican is a training partner of former World record holder Asafa Powell and Olympic silver medallist Sherone Simpson. “Asafa is a good friend and a good training partner,” Carter said.
J-Mee Samuels also impressed in third place with 10.03 to beat 2009 US champion Mike Rodgers (10.09). Marlon Devonish from Great Britain won the B-race in 10.18. Samuels also took the Under-23 race in 10.13 beating European 200m Junior champion Ramil Gulyev from Azerbaijan (10.24) at the beginning of the official programme of an outstanding afternoon of athletics.
Myers and Pearson impress on the straight
It was a highly entertaining meeting with five meeting records and some other impressive results.
Marshevet Myers of the US and Australian 100m Hurdles Olympic silver medallist Sally Pearson also grabbed the headlines on the very fast track in Nottwil. No less than 69 Olympic and World medallists took part in the 24th edition of the Luzern Spitzenleichtathletik Meeting which has moved this year to Nottwil due to refurbishment work at the Allmend Stadium in Luzern, the traditional venue of this major Swiss meeting.
Myers dipped under 11 seconds with an outstanding 10.99 to edge out Olympic silver medallist Sherone Simpson (second with 11.08) in the women’s 100m.
Pearson scored an impressive win in the women’s 100m Hurdles in 12.59 just two days after winning in the Samsung Diamond League in Stockholm in 12.57. For Pearson it was the third consecutive win in the Spitzenleichtathletik meeting after 2008 and 2009. In 2008 she clocked 12.58 to set her previous Australian record which she later improved to 12.50 in 2009. Jamaican Vonette Dixon finished second in 12.78 ahead of Swiss shooting star Lisa Urech who narrowly missed her PB with 12.88 one week after reaching the final at the European Championships in Barcelona.
“It was good to run 12.5 two days after Stockholm,” Pearson said. “I enjoy competing in this meeting because I like the atmosphere and there are good racing conditions. It was my third win here and I am quite surprised. My goal for this season is to win the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi.”
Meet records for Spencer and Spearmon
Jamaican Kalesie Spencer, winner at the Samsung Diamond League meetings in Gateshead and Monaco in July, proved once again the good quality of the Nottwil track with an impressive meeting record of 53.72 in the women’s 400m Hurdles.
The fifth meeting record in chronological order fell in the men’s 200m where US World bronze medallist Wallace Spearmon clocked 20.19.
Reigning world outdoor and indoor champion Brittney Reese also highlighted an impressive meeting with a wind-assisted 6.95m leap that earned her the win in the sixth round in the women’s long jump. Reese produced a best legal jump of 6.78m with a headwind of -1.9 m/s and a second best wind-assisted jump to 6.85m in the first attempt. Reese snatched the win from Olympic heptathlon silver medallist Hyleas Fountain who went to the lead in the fifth attempt with a legal jump to 6.89m. US Funmi Jimoh completed the US sweep by finishing third with 6.82m. US high jump star Chaunte Lowe, who leapt to 6.90m at the US Championships in Des Moines and competed in both the high jump and the long jump in Stockholm on Friday, finished eighth with 6.64m.
Jamaican record holder Dwight Thomas won the men’s 110m Hurdles in 13.35 by 0.04 over Czech Petr Svoboda and World champion Ryan Brathwaite who both clocked 13.39. It is interesting to note that Brathwaite won last year in Luzern in 13.23 and then went on to win a surprising World title in Berlin to become the first athlete in the history of Barbados to take a gold medal at the World Championships.
American 800m runner Morgan Uceny clocked 1:58.67 missing the meeting record by just 0.01. Kenya Sinclair from Jamaica dipped under 1:59 to finish second in 1:58.78 ahead of Briton Jemma Simpson, third in 1:59.34.
Javier Culson from Puerto Rico, World silver medallist in the men’s 400m Hurdles, notched up the win in 48.79 two days after his second place in Stockholm. American Justyn Gaymon finished runner-up in 49.07.
US Championships second placer LeJerald Betters took the win in the men’s 400m in 45.40 over Australian Ben Offereins (45.70) and Ireland’s World and European finalist David Gillick (45.95). Former World and Olympic champion Jeremy Wariner pulled out of the Nottwil meeting a few minutes before the start due to a minor injury but promised the organizers to come back next year.
World silver medallist Yarelis Barrios from Cuba, leader in the Diamond Race in the Samsung Diamond League, threw to a new meeting record of 64.09m to take the women’s Discus Throw. Spaniard Mario Pestano produced a major upset in the men’s Discus Throw by beating reigning World champion and European silver medallist Robert Harting. Pestano snatched a last-attempt win thanks to a best release to 65.17m. Harting had to settle for second place with 64.93m.
Anastasia Shvedova of Belarus vaulted 4.30m to take the women’s Pole Vault by five cm over Germany’s Kristina Gadschiew.
Diego Sampaolo for the IAAF
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