Brooks claims 60m warm-up win in France
LIÉVIN, France (CMC) — Sherri-Ann Brooks warmed-up for the World Indoor Championships, when she won the women’s 60 metres dash at the Meeting Pas de Calais yesterday.
The 27-year-old Jamaican clocked 7.20 seconds to maintain her form as she continued her preparations for the World Indoors, starting on Friday in Doha, Qatar.
The reigning Commonwealth Games women’s 100 metres champion, prevailed over Frenchwoman Myriam Soumare in a photo-finish.
Brooks has made a return to the track this year, after she fought to clear her name, and a doping case against her was dismissed in the Court of Arbitration for Sports.
In June last year, Brooks was one of five members of the Jamaican national team that were reported for providing urine samples which tested positive for a banned stimulant.
Brooks was cleared to continue racing on a technicality, since the Jamaican Anti-Doping Commission had tested her B-sample without her prior knowledge.
Jamaica’s track & field authorities however, withdrew her from the sprint relay at the World Championships as a precaution.
Brooks has been named to the Jamaican for Doha, where she and Veronica Campbell-Brown will carry their nations medal hopes in the 60m dash.
Lerone Clarke, a member of the Jamaica team for the World Indoors, also had a meaningful final workout. He ran 6.60 secs to finish third in the men’s 60m which he will also run in Doha.
The race was won by Frenchman Christopher Lemaitre in 6.58 secs, the same time that was awarded to Britain’s Henry Aikines-Aryeetey in another photo-finish.
The highlight of the meet came from champion Cuban hurdler Dayron Robles.
He confirmed his great form, when he won the event in 7.45 secs, only 0.01 short off his season best, but still far from his 7.33 record, which places him second on the all-time lists, behind Colin Jackson’s 7.30.
Robles was the last to come out of the blocks in the heats and the Final.
The outdoor 110m hurdles World record-holder and Olympic champion had to overcome a disastrous reaction time (0.240) in heats to run 7.65.
In the Final, he was again left at the start (0.205) and managed once again to close the gap hurdle after hurdle and win in 7.45 from Russian indoor specialist Yevgeniy Borisov (7.53).
