Morrison cops TRUFit 100m in season’s best 10.87
Five Jamaicans, led by sprinter Natasha Morrison of MVP Track Club, had personal best performances at yesterday’s USA Track & Field (USATF)-sanctioned TRUFit Meet Series at Tropical Park in Miami, Florida.
Morrison, the World Championships and Commonwealth Games 100m finalist, and two other jamaicans — Kasheika Cameron and hurdle specialist Janeek Brown — all ran their lifetime bests, while former schoolboy stars Nigel Ellis and Michael Stephens also got their best ever times in the men’s 100m.
Additionally, five other Jamaicans also got season’s best performances in Florida, while Shiann Salmon was third in the 400m hurdles at the Drake Relays in Des Moine, Iowa.
Morrison was in brilliant form winning the women’s 100m in 10.87 seconds (1.3m/s), the second fastest in the world at the time, beating her previous best 10.96 seconds that was done six years ago in 2015.
Her previous season’s best was 11.19 seconds set at the Miramar Invitational in South Florida two weeks ago and she had sent a message that she was in great form yesterday when she ran 10.98 (0.8m/s) in the prelims to lead all qualifiers.
Cameron was fourth in her new lifetime best 11.24 seconds, faster than the old personal best of 11.29 seconds and had run 11.30 seconds (0.8m/s) in the first round, while Brown clocked 11.29 seconds in the finals to beat her old 11.34 seconds.
Julian Forte had a swift 10.03 seconds (2.0m/s) for third in the men’s 100m, Ellis was fourth in a best 10.04 seconds and Stephens ran 10.12 seconds for sixth, also his best ever.
Janieve Russell, also of MVP, won the women’s 400m in 52.12 seconds, followed by former World Under-20 champion Tiffany James-Rose who was running the event for the first time this year, clocking 52.67 seconds. Junelle Bromfield, meantime, was fouth in a season’s best 53.20 seconds.
Nathon Allen ran 46.02 seconds to win the men’s 400m, his first race over the distance this season.
World Under-20 championships silver medallist Orlando Bennett won the 110m hurdles in a season’s best 13.32 seconds (0.3m/s), while Commonwealth Games champion Ronald Levy was second in 13.39 seconds, his best of the season so far.
World Championships finalist Shermaine Williams placed third in the 100m hurdles in her season best 13.67 seconds (1.2m/s) and Jodean Williams was also third in the women’s 200m in a win aided 23.59 (3.0m/s).
Salmon, the World Under-20 silver medallist clocked a season’s best 56.02 seconds for third in the women’s 400m hurdles at Drake Relays, behind a world-leading 55.02 seconds from Panama’s Gianna Woodruff and Ashley Spencer’s 55.52 seconds.
World Championships finalist Chanice Porter was sixth in the long jump with 6.23m (1.8m/s).
— Paul Reid