Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie - Wins in Luzern in fine tune-up for Beijing

LUZERN, Switzerland, CMC - Bahamian sprinters Chandra Sturrup and Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie continued their build-up for the Beijing Olympics with victories at the European Athletic Association (EAA) Permit meeting on Wednesday evening.

 

The ageing veteran Sturrup clocked a personal season's best 11.06 seconds to win the women's 100 metres ahead of Ferguson-McKenzie, who also posted a 2008 personal best in landing the 200 metres in 22.49 seconds.

 

The pair, who helped Bahamas win sprint relay gold at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, were the only Caribbean winners at the meet.

 

Sturrup, who turns 37 years old in September, defeated a good field in the 100 metres while being pushed by an allowable following wind of 1.9 metres per second.

 

Ferguson-McKenzie (11.11) ran a solid race for second and American Lauryn Williams was third in 11.23 seconds. Laverne Jones, of the US Virgin Islands (USVI), was fourth in 11.27.

 

US sprinter Mark Jelks won the men's 100 in 10.17, beating Britain’s former World Junior champion Harry Aikines Aryeteey (10.22).

 

Ferguson-McKenzie's 22.49 run in the 200 was done against a -0.1 mps head wind as the 2001 World Champion dismissed American Shalonda Solomon (22.64) with Jones third in 22.80 and Jamaican Simone Facey fourth in 23.02 seconds.

 

“It was fantastic. I set seasonal bests in both 100 and 200 metres," Ferguson told reporters after the race.

 

"It was nice to see two Bahamians in first place in both sprint distances," she added.

 

In the men's 200 metres, Dominica's Chris Lloyd clocked 20.90 seconds for the runner-up spot to Brazil's Sandro Viana (20.65).

 

CARICOM athletes landed some top three spots in the 400-metre races.

 

In Race 1 of the men's 400, South African Ofentse Mogawane (45.94) won ahead of Grenada's Alleyne Francique (46.12) and Jamaican Ricardo Chambers (45.45) was second in Race 2 behind Australian Joel Milburn (44.99).

 

Britain's reigning Commonwealth Games and World Champion Christine Ohuruogu took the women's one-lap run in 50.99, ahead of American Monique Henderson (51.42) and Jamaica's Kaliese Spencer (51.74).

 

There were a couple of top-three results for Jamaican hurdlers Vonette Dixon and Shevon Stoddart.

 

In the women's 100-metre hurdles that Australian Sally McLellan won in a personal best and national record 12.58 ahead of reigning Olympic champion Joanna Hayes (12.66) of the USA, Dixon was third in 12.76.

 

Stoddart (56.28) chased Americans Tiffany Williams (55.46) and Miriam Barnes (55.99) in the 400-hurdles.

 

In Race 2 of the 110-metre hurdles, Jamaicans Richard Phillips (13.60) and Maurice Wignall (13.66) were fourth and fifth respectively as Switzerland's Andrea Kundert (SUI) 13.41.

 

American Anwar Moore won the main race in 13.22.

 

Also appearing at the meet was Jamaican Madrea Hyman, who clocked nine minutes 53.24 seconds for fifth in the women's 3000-metre steeplechase that Victoria Mitchell won in 9:49.24.

 

CMC lw/08