Sport

Jamaicans shine for US colleges

file - Carlene Robinson

FAYETTEVILLE, ARKANSAS, CMC:

TRINIDADIAN SPRINT ACE Fana Ashby snatched two victories and posted national record times while leading a quartet of Caribbean winners in the Collegiate segment of the Tyson Invitational indoor meet on Saturday at the Randal Tyson Track.

Ashby won the women's 60 metres in 7.27 seconds after advancing from the preliminaries with a 7.21 clocking that lowered Ayanna Hutchinson's previous national mark of 7.28. Ashby took the 200 in 23.26 to cop the sprint double.

Tiandra Ponteen, of St. Kitts and Nevis, and the Jamaicans Carlene Robinson and Richard Phillips, also logged wins on day two of the meet.

In the women's 60 metres, Ashby sped to the gold medal, chased by Americans Tremedia Brice (7.30) and Cleo Tyson (7.33).

Brice was also closest to the former CARIFTA Champion in the 200 metres, 0.02 seconds behind in 23.28, with Jamaican Simone Facey third in 23.43 seconds.

Fourth fastest

Fast improving Ponteen became the world's fourth fastest in the women's 400 when she stopped the clock at 51.68 seconds to defeat Natasha Hastings (51.85) and Charlette Greggs (53.19).

Only Russians Svetlana Pospelova (51.57) and Irina Rosikhina (51.58) and Grenada's Hazel-Ann Regis (51.62) have gone faster than Ponteen so far this year.

Phillips led a Jamaican one-two finish in the men's 60-metre hurdles, winning in 7.74 seconds, topping Ricardo Melbourne (7.79) and Stephanos Ioanou (7.88).

Robinson, a four-time CARIFTA champion, went two minutes 09.39 seconds in the women's 800-metre preliminaries and won the final in 2:10.01 ahead of Temeka Kincy (2:10.50) and Leslie Treherne (2:10.69).

Trinidad and Tobago's U.S. Collegiate champion Candice Scott had a good showing in the Open women's weight throw, posting 23.26 metres for second spot behind Erin Gilreath (23.79m).

In Open competition on Friday, the Caribbean had secured a big win in the women's 60 metres when Jamaica's Olympic 200-metre champion Veronica Campbell captured the 60 metres in a world-leading 7.09 seconds, and there were second places finishes for Guyana's Marian Burnett (2:03.17) in the women's 800 metres, and Jamaican Michelle Freeman (7.99) in the 60-metre hurdles.