Richard Thompson leans to take the 100m national title in Port of Spain (© Micheal Bruce / Trinidad Express)
Port of Spain, Trinidad & TobagoRichard “Torpedo” Thompson completed the men’s sprint double at the NAAA/Sagicor Trinidad and Tobago Track and Field Championships, with a commanding victory in the 200m at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Port of Spain, on Sunday (27).
The Olympic 100m silver medallist clocked a championship record 20.37 to beat NCAA half-lap champion Rondel Sorrillo (20.62) and World Championship 400m bronze medallist Renny Quow (20.79) into second and third, respectively.
Thompson was exultant at the end of the race. He celebrated his golden dash, acknowledged the cheers and saluted the crowd.
“It meant a lot for two reasons,” the 25-year-old said. “It’s my first time as the national 200-metre champion, and secondly, coming into this meet I didn’t know what to expect from Rondel Sorrillo. And moreso, I didn’t know what to expect from myself.”
“I knew I would have my hands full in the 200. I was confident about the 100 yesterday (Saturday), even though I knew (Keston) Bledman has been having a good season. Sorrillo is having a great year.”
Thompson ran an aggressive bend, and as he entered the straight, it was clear track and field fans at the Crawford Stadium were about to be treated to the “Torpedo Show”. Sorrillo chased, but his effort was in vain, Thompson securing a comfortable triumph to add to his 100m title on Saturday.
“The 200 is a strategic race, so once Sorrillo was in front of me, the idea was to run up on him and (Emmanuel) Callender going around the bend. Once I did that, between 100 and 150 I was able to turn it over and stride…relax a bit. It left me with energy for the final 50. That was my strategy going into the race, and I executed it the way I wanted to.”
In the qualifying round, Thompson topped heat two in 20.64 seconds, the fastest qualifying time. Callender won heat three in 20.73, the same time recorded by second-placed Sorrillo, the defending champion.
“After the semi,” Thompson explained, “I was very confident I could win the final. It felt extremely easy.”
On Saturday, Thompson repeated as men’s 100m gold medallist when he held off a fast-finishing Bledman.
Like Hasely Crawford, at the 1976 Montreal Olympics, Thompson was drawn in lane one. And like Crawford, Thompson got home first, the Louisiana-based sprinter stopping the clock at 10.01.
Bledman closed in on Thompson late in the race, but ran out of track and had to settle for silver in 10.03. Callender (10.14) finished third, and Marc Burns (10.25) fourth. Aaron Armstrong was disqualified for a false start.
Baptiste sub-11
Kelly-Ann Baptiste crushed her rivals in the women’s 100m final. The Florida-based sprinter bolted to victory in a fast 10.98 seconds, leaving Semoy Hackett and Ayanna Hutchinson to battle for second spot. Hackett clocked 11.27 to secure silver, while Hutchinson bagged bronze in 11.37.
Hackett was on level terms with Baptiste early in the race. But Baptiste, the fastest woman in the world this year at 10.84, stamped her authority, stepping up a gear to pull away from her challenger.
On Sunday, Jehue Gordon completed a hat trick of national championship men’s 400m Hurdles victories, the 18-year-old track star completing his circuit of the Crawford Stadium track in 49.96 seconds, a new meet record.
Halfway through the race, Gordon, in lane three, drew alongside Emanuel Mayers, in four. And by the time he turned for home, the 2009 World Championship fourth-place finisher was in full control. Though he stuttered at the penultimate barrier, Gordon won easily, forcing Mayers to settle for silver in 50.54. Adrian Mann (51.67) claimed bronze.
Elsewhere, Cleopatra Borel-Brown captured her fifth straight national championship women’s Shot Put title, reaching 18.04m.
Kwame Laurence (Trinidad Express) for the IAAF
Leading Results -
Men's 100m (wind: +1.7)
1 Richard Thompson (Rebirth) 10.01
2 Keston Bledman (Simplex) 10.03
3 Emmanuel Callender (Memphis) 10.14
Women's 100m (wind: +1.7 )
1 Kelly-Ann Baptiste (Zenith) 10.98
2 Semoy Hackett (Zenith) 11.27
3 Ayanna Hutchinson (Concorde) 11.37
Men's 200m (wind: +1.0)
1 Richard Thompson (Rebirth) 20.37 MR
2 Rondel Sorrillo (La Brea) 20.62
3 Renny Quow (Zenith) 20.79
Men's 400m
1 Zwede Hewitt (Rebirth) 46.26
2 Lalonde Gordon (Tigers) 46.73
3 Jarrin Solomon (Memphis) 46.89
Women's 400m
1 Janeil Bellille (Neon Trackers) 53.99
2 Melissa De Leon (unattached) 54.28
3 Afiya Walker (Burnley) 54.71
Men's 800m
1 Gavyn Nero (Memphis) 1:51.09
2 Jameel Walcott (Neon Trackers) 1:52.76
3 George Smith (Petrotrin Palo Seco) 1:55.52
Women's 800m
1 Melissa De Leon (unattached) 2:05.36
Men's 1500m
1 Gavyn Nero (Memphis) 3:54.57
2 Jules La Rode (Penal) 3:59.63
3 Matthew Hagley (Defence Force) 4:01.82
Women's 1500m
1 Pilar McShine (Success) 4:22.99 MR, SR
2 Shermin Lasaldo (Success) 5:15.30
Men's 5000m
1 Ruben Chebonmwei (Kenya) 14:24.09
2 Nicodemus Ngetich (Kenya) 14:45.53
3 David Cheromei (Kenya) 14:51.13
Men’s 3,000m steeplechase
1 Ruben Chebonmwei (Kenya) 8:46.43 MR, SR
2 Nicodemus Ngetich (Kenya) 8:54.97
3 Steven Stricklang (USA) 9:00.11
Men's 110m hurdles (wind: -0.3)
1 Mikel Thomas (La Brea) 13.94 MR
2 Ronald Andrews (La Brea) 14.02
3 Ansil Nicholson (Memphis) 15.39
Women's 100m hurdles (wind: -1.8)
1 Aleesha Barber (unattached) 13.66
Men's 400m hurdles
1 Jehue Gordon (Memphis) 49.96 MR
2 Emanuel Mayers (Rebirth) 50.54
3 Adrian Mann (unattached) 51.67
Women's 400m hurdles
1 Janeil Bellille (Neon Trackers) 57.77
2 Gabriela Cumberbatch (Memphis) 1:02.13
Men's high jump
1 James Grayman (Antigua & Barbuda) 2.15m MR
2 Mikhail Matthews (Zenith) 1.95m
3 Kelvin Frank (Dovers) 1.90m
Men’s pole vault
1 Benjamin Allen (USA) 5.30m MR
2 Michael Arnold (USA) 5.10m
3 Robert Diskupiak (USA) 4.60m
3 Levi Keller (USA) 4.60m
Men's long jump
1 Dwaine Herbert (Dovers) 7.17m (wind: +0.7)
2 Amichi Goodridge (Air Bon Sonics) 6.69m (wind: +1.4)
Women's long jump
1 Rhonda Watkins (QRC) 6.69m (wind: +2.9)
2 Charisse Bacchus (QRC) 6.27m (wind: +0.6)
Men's triple jump
1 Chris Hercules (Memphis) 15.99m (wind: +2.6)
2 Ayata Joseph (Antigua & Barbuda) 15.84 (wind: +2.7)
Women's triple jump
1 Ayanna Alexander (unattached) 13.30m (wind: -1.7)
Men’s shot put
1 Kesean Phillips (Zenith) 13.85m
2 Emmanuel Stewart (Zenith) 12.68m
3 Keon Francis (UWI) 12.38m
Women's shot put
1 Cleopatra Borel-Brown (unattached) 18.04m
2 Annie Alexander (Burnley) 16.47m
3 Hilenn James (George Clarke Striders) 14.58m
Men's discus
1 Emmanuel Stewart (Zenith) 48.10m
2 Keon Francis (UWI) 40.97m
3 Guischard Charles (UWI) 36.62m
Women's discus
1 Annie Alexander (Burnley) 53.03m
2 Hilenn James (George Clarke Striders) 38.37m
3 Noelyn Davis (Burnley) 29.39m
Men’s javelin
1 Hakim Smith (Toco TAFAC) 60.70m
2 Emmanuel Stewart (Zenith) 60.02m
3 Nicholas Blackford (Eastonians) 42.97m
Women's javelin
1 Geraldine George (Petrotrin Palo Seco) 41.11m
2 Venice Frederick (Success) 35.91m
3 Gwendolyn Smith (Petrotrin Palo Seco) 35.66m
Men's 4x100m
1 Memphis 40.89
2 La Brea 41.10
3 Tigers 42.45
Women's 4x100m
1 Concorde 46.51
Men’s 4x400m
1 Memphis 3:12.51
2 Defence Force 3:21.32
Men’s decathlon
1 Rodney Liverpool (Defence Force) 5,693 points
MR - meet record
SR – stadium record
