SADA WILLIAMS and United States-based sprinter Burkheart Ellis qualified for the IAAF World Championships in London from August 4-13 here Sunday night by winning the 200 metres on the final day of the National Athletics Championships at the National Stadium.
Williams, 20, posted a championship meet record of 22.80 seconds in the women’s race while the 24-year-old Ellis conquered the men in 20.37 seconds.
Unfortunately, Saturday’s women’s 100 metres champion Jade Bailey did not return for the final after winning her heat in 23.34 seconds. The 34-year-old veteran sprinter will now have an anxious wait to get another crack at the 23.10 qualifying standard.
Benefitting from the presence of sprint hurdler Shane Brathwaite in the race, Ellis, who was second behind University of Houston’s student-athlete Mario Burke in Saturday’s 100 final, produced a burst of speed in the home stretch to dip under the 20.40 qualifying mark.
Brathwaite, who has already qualified for Worlds in the 110-metres hurdles, was second in 20.51 seconds with Burke (20.60) third.
Teenager Matthew Clarke finished fifth with a personal best time of 21.09 seconds, which met the qualifying requirement of 21.20 for the Pan American Junior Championships in Peru, July 21-23.
Senior athletes Fabian Norgrove (50.24) and Anthonio Mascoll (1:47.49) broke Championships records in the men’s 400 hurdles and 800 metres respectively but neither qualified for the Worlds or next year’s Commonwealth Games in Australia.
Multiple CARIFTA medallist Rivaldo Leacock finished third in 51.17 seconds behind Norgrove and Kion Joseph (50.64) to again qualify for the Pan Am Juniors.
Back-to-back CARIFTA Under-18 gold medallist Rasheeme Griffith, another Pan Am Juniors qualifier, was fourth in 52.32 seconds.
Mascoll’s victory was bitter-sweet as his Elite Distance Programme club mate and CARIFTA Under-20 800 champion Jonathan Jones pulled up with 300 metres to go, along the back straight.
In the women’s 800, United States-based Sonia Gaskin (2:09.01) won easily from Sade Sealy (2:11.37). (EZS)
