With each race this season, sprint ace, Brenessa Thompson seems to be getting better and better.
The 20-year-old, who broke the 200m national record twice last month, yesterday smashed the national 100m record to highlight the inaugural Aliann Pompey Invitational meet and further cement her place at the Olympic Games in Brazil.
In front of the largest crowd to witness a track and field event at the National Track and Field Centre, the US-based Thompson rebounded from a pedestrian start and a third place finish in the heat to win emphatically in the final in a blistering 11.41s.
In the fastest race she has ran so far, Thompson was flawless from the beginning. The stylish Thompson, who wore a headband of daisies around her forehead like Jamaica’s Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce did last year at the World Championships, made an explosive, near-perfect start and established a two-metre lead by the halfway mark.
But that display of flower power was countered by the flying Trinidadian Reyare Thomas, who began to motor during the second 50m and was closing fast only for the line to come too soon.
Thomas, who clocked 11.22s also made the qualifying standard for the Olympic Games women’s 100m which stands at 11.32s.
USA’s Tawana Meadows placed third in 11.37s.
In perfect running conditions, Thompson then recorded a double when she sprinted to victory in the 200m in 23.08s.
While Thompson has a foot in the door in the Olympic Games Village in Rio De Janeiro, Kadecia Baird missed the qualifying standard in the 400m by just 600ths of a second.
Baird, a silver medalist at the World Juniors and CARIFTA Games gold medalist, clocked 52.26s in the quarter mile event.
Ashley Kelly (53.24s) of the British Virgin Islands finished second while Aliyah Abrams (Guyana) who has already qualified for Rio placed third in 53.53s.
History was also made yesterday in the 110m men’s hurdles and in the triple jump.
USVI’s Eddie Lovette recorded 13.39s in the hurdle event which is faster than the Olympic standard which stands at 13.47s. Triple Jumper, Donald Scott of the USA, hopped, stepped and jumped his way to 17.02m, clearing the Olympic standard of 16.85m.
Other winners yesterday included USA’S Brycen Spratlin in the men’s 400m in 45.84s, Winston George (men’s 200m), Phil DeRosier (men’s 100m), Cleveland Forde (men’s 5000m), Claudrice McKoy (women’s 1500m), Andrea Foster (women’s 800m) and Devon Barrington (men’s 800m).
The organizers dubbed the meet a success and plans are in the pipelines to make it an annual fixture.
