Brenessa Thompson is once again in the headlines for all the positive reasons.
On Saturday, the US based Thompson broke her own national 200m record and became the first female local sprinter to run under 23 seconds in the half lap event.
The 20-year who attends Texas A&M, clocked 22.99s at a meet in Lawrence, Kansas to lower the national 200m record which she broke just two weeks ago.
On May 11, Thompson had clocked 23.19s to erase the then 12-year old record of 23.33s which was previously held by Aliann Pompey.
Having already qualified for this year’s Olympic Games in the 100m, Thompson has now cemented her place in the 200m by further bettering the qualifying standard which stands at 23.20s
Thompson initially punched her ticket to the Games to be held in Brazil in August after achieving the qualifying standard on April 23 at the Michael Johnson Invitational in Waco, Texas.
She ran a personal best of 11.31s in the 100m at the meet to go under the IAAF Olympic Rio Standards which is 100ths of a second slower (11.32s).
Thompson joins quarter mile specialist and Guyana’s 400m record holder, Winston George, Aliyah Abrams (400m) and triple jumper, Troy Doris in reaching qualifying standards for the Games scheduled for August 5-21 in Rio de Janeiro.
George qualified after running 45.25s last August at the IAAF World Championships in China.
The 400m men’s qualifying standard stands at 45.40s.
The qualifying window closes on July 10.(Emmerson Campbell)
