Barbadian hurdler Tia-Adana Belle warmed up for next month’s Pan American Games with a podium finish at the Spitzen Leichtathletik meeting at Luzerne’s Allmend Stadium in Switzerland on Tuesday.
Running in lane six, Belle, 23, finished third in the women’s 400-metres hurdles in 55.86 seconds as she started her European tour campaign. She came with a strong late run but was unable to catch Nikita Traceyn, who won in 55.44 seconds from her fast-finishing Jamaican compatriot Rhonda Whyte (55.72).
Belle, who captured three consecutive NCAA Division 2 national titles for St Augustine University, posted a world-leading personal best 54.18 seconds at the Florida Relays in Gainesville in March.
She also clocked 55.89 to win the women’s 400 hurdles title at the Barbados National Championships on June 23, to confirm selection on the Barbados team for the Pan Am Games in Lima, Peru, from August 6 to 10. (EZS)
