BRIDGETOWN – Gifted sprinter Mario Burke and the evergreen Jade Bailey captured the 100 metres titles at the National Athletics Championships at the National Stadium here Saturday night to qualify for next year’s Commonwealth Games in Australia.
Burke, 20, who is on an athletics scholarship at the University of Houston under the guidance of legendary American sprinter Carl Lewis, came of age when he sprinted home in a career-best 10.17 seconds.
Olympians Burkheart Ellis (10.27) and Levi Cadogan (10.42) were second and fourth, with United-based sprinter Stephen Headley (10.40) third.
Another Olympian, Ramon Gittens, the defending champion, was a noticeable absentee.
Tall 34-year-old sprinter Bailey clocked 11.39 seconds to defeat American-born Myasia Jacobs (11.57), who is hoping to represent the birth place of her mother.
United States-based teenager Tristan Evelyn (11.59) was third, booking her ticket to the Pan American Junior Championship in Peru, July 21 to 23.
Shane Brathwaite (centre), winning the men’s 110 metres hurdles from Eddie Lovett (right) and Jeffrey Julmis.
Shane Brathwaite missed last year’s Rio Olympics but will be heading to the IAAF London World Championships in August after winning the men’s 110 metres hurdles in 13.52 seconds from the U.S. Virgin Islands’ Eddie Lovett (13.53).
Haitian Jeffrey Julmis (13.62) and Dominican Republic’s Ramon Sosa Jr. (14.04) were third and fourth.
Kierre Beckls taking full control in the women’s 100 metres hurdles from LaVonne Idlette.
Olympian Kierre Beckles hit the Commonwealth Games standard in the women’s 100 metres hurdles but her time of 13.15 was short of the Worlds’ requirement of 12.98 seconds.
Blonde-haired LaVonne Idlette (13.53) of the Dominican Republic was second.
Jonathan Jones, a CARIFTA Games gold medallist in the 800 metres, won the 1500 metres in 3:55.08 minutes, surpassing the Pan Am Juniors qualifying standard of 3:57 minutes.
There were also races for the younger athletes.
Locally-based Joshua Walcott won the men’s 400 metres in a lifetime best time of 46.84 seconds as Antoni Hoyte-Small (47.45) narrowly missed the Pan Am Juniors standard of 47.40.
Tiana Bowen’s winning time of 55.96 seconds in the women’s 400, was also short of the Pan Am Juniors qualifying mark of 54.50 seconds. (EZS)
