Sport

Simpson wins 400m in 45.56

Brandon Simpson - File

JAMAICA'S WORLD Junior Championships (WIC) gold medallist, Brandon Simpson, won the men's 400 metres at Saturday's Home Depot Track & Field Invitational in Carson, California.

Simpson, a member of Jamaica's team to the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, was timed in 45.56, his second fastest time this season to beat Calvin Harrison of USA/Nike (45.67) and Gary Kikaya of Congo/Nike (45.95) in a close race.

The Nike-sponsored Simpson, a 2001 Pam American Games Championships silver medallist, boasted a season best time of 45.48, which is listed 23rd on the list behind leader and World Indoor champion Alleyne Francique of Grenada (44.47).

In the women's 100m, former Jamaica sprint queen, Merlene Ottey, now competing for Slovenia, was fifth in 11.31. A strong following wind of 4.4 metres per second helped the world's fastest woman, American Marion Jones, to win in 10.99 seconds.

Angella Daigle of USA/Nike (11.17), LaKeisha Backus of US Army (11.23) and Rachelle Boone of USA/Nike (11.26) all finished ahead of Ottey.

Jones also won the long jump. The 12-time USA Indoor champion, who won both events at the May 7 Jamaica International Invitational, went up to 7.13m, again with a wind reading of 4.5mps.

Melissa Morrison, representing USA/Nike, surprised her countrywoman Gail Devers and world champion Perdita Felicien in the women's sprint hurdles. Morrison, the 2000 Olympic bronze medallist, won the event in a wind-aided 12.44 to defeat Devers (12.52), Miesha McKelvy of USA/Nike (12.62) and Felicien of Canada (12.70).