LUZERN, Switzerland, CMC – Kerron Stewart finished fifth in the 100 metres on her return from a hamstring injury at European Athletic Association meet yesterday here.
The Olympic and World Championship silver medallist from Jamaica faded, after making a solid start to the sprint, and stopped the clock in 11.32 seconds.
“She has been off for two months, so she ran because we just wanted to see her finish the race and get that confidence back,” said her Bahamas-born coach Henry Rolle.
Stewart’s sharp start helped her to be competitive over the first half of the race, but she ran out of steam, as American Marshevet Hooker Myers ran through to win in 10.99 seconds, followed by Sherone Simpson, another Jamaica, whose time was 11.08s.
Rolle added there were doubts surrounding Stewart’s participation, but he eventually convinced her to take the dip.
“At one point she questioned if she should run,” he said. “We had to get it started to put her in a better frame of mind going into the London Grand Prix [this weekend].
“Now we move on, and I think she will run well there. She needed the confidence from this race to say she is okay, and in the right frame of mind. I really didn’t think she was coming back this year.”
Stewart won the 100m silver and 200 bronze at the Olympic Games two years ago, and last year, claimed 100 silver at the World Championships in Berlin.
