Christian wins at Martinique Conseil General meeting

FORT DE FRANCE, Martinique, CMC – Antigua and Barbuda’s Brendan Christian ran a personal season’s best 20.12 seconds while winning at the Martinique’s Conseil General track and field meeting on Thursday evening.

Christian defeated US Olympic champion Shawn Crawford and logged one of four wins for English-speaking Caribbean athletes at the meet.

Jamaicans Jovanee Jarrett and Markino Buckley, and Laverne Jones, of the US Virgin Islands (USVI), also won.

Christian, who won Pan American Games 200-metre gold in Brazil last year, sped to his quickest time of the year so far, to defeat 2004 Athens gold medallist Crawford (20.36). Another American, Rodney Martin, was third in 20.39 seconds.

Jarrett topped the women’s long jump field at 6.85 metres, defeating Canadian Tabia Charles (6.55m). Jamaican Elva Goulbourne was fourth at 6.29 metres.

Buckley registered a personal best 49.08 clocking to win the men’s 400 hurdles ahead of the American pair of Brendan Johnson (49.49) and Laron Bennett (49.56).

Jones captured the secondary women’s 200-metre race in 22.89 seconds, defeating American Willeshia Myrick (23.08).

American Muna Lee completed a fine sprint double, landing the women’s 100 metres in 11.10 seconds ahead of fellow American Torri Edwards (11.17), with Jones third in 11.29.

And she won Race-1 of the 200 in 21.91, assisted by a following wind of +2.8 metres per second.

Americans Damu Cherry and Lashinda Demus surged to world-leading hurdles wins to highlight the meet, which happened exactly three months before the opening of the Beijing Olympics on August 8.

Cherry ran a superb 12.47 seconds to beat Jamaican Delloreen Ennis-London (12.54) in a fast women’s 100-metre hurdles event, and Demus clocked 53.99 – the first sub-54 clocking of the year – to land the women’s 400 hurdles.

Jamaican Shevon Stoddart (54.71) and Trinidad and Tobago’s Josanne Lucas (56.82) placed third and sixth respectively.

There were some other top three finishes for the Caribbean.

Jamaicans Clora Williams (51.83) and Davita Prendegast (51.88) got second and third respectively to American Debbie Dunn (51.24) in the women’s 400 metres.

Jamaicans Marvin Anderson (10.12) and Dwight Thomas (10.14) chased American Ivory Williams (10.07) in a wind-assisted (+2.2 mps) men’s 100, while in the men’s 400, American David Neville won in 45.57 with Bahamian Andre Williams (45.62) second and Dominica’s Chris Lloyd (45.70) third. Grenada’s Alleyne Francique was fourth in 46.17.

The men’s 800 went to Kenya’s Vincent Rono in one minute 48.03 seconds, chased by Trinidad and Tobago’s Sherridan Kirk (1:48.48).

In the men’s long jump, Jamaican Herbert McGregor registered a career-best 8.08 metres but that was good enough only for fourth as American Brian Johnson won at 8.48 metres.