Kerrica Hill, Javari Thomas win in Europe
KINGSTON, Jamaica — Kerrica Hill and Javari Thomas were winners at their respective World Athletics Continental Tour- Bronze meets in Italy and Finland, respectively, on Wednesday.
Hill broke the meet record in the 100m hurdles after running a season’s best 12.66 seconds (0.8m/s) at the 37th International Meeting of Sports Solidarity in Lignano, Sabbiadoro, Italy, while Thomas took the men’s 100m at the Motonet Grand Prix Joensuu in Finland.
Hill’s time beat the old record 12.81 seconds set in 2011 by Kellie Wells of the USA.
American Rayniah Jones was also under the old record after she ran 12.67 seconds for second, while another Jamaican, Britany Anderson, was third in a season best equalling 12.70 seconds.
Thomas of GC Foster, who was sixth in the men’s 100m final at the JAAA national championships last month, won the men’s 100m in 10.20 seconds (0.9m/s) after he ran 10.58 seconds (-1.6m/s) in the heats.
Finland’s Riku Illukka was just beaten into second place with a personal best 10.21 seconds with Norway’s Per-Tinius Fremstad-Waldron third with a season’s best 10.33 seconds.
In Italy, Krystal Sloley ran a season’s best 11.31 seconds (0.3m/s) for second in the women’s 100m, beaten by former Jamaican representative Christania Williams, now of Austria who won with a season’s best 11.26 seconds.
Magdalena Lidner of Austria was third with 11.35 seconds.
Former national champion Rohan Watson was second in the men’s with 10.17 seconds (0.3m/s), while his training partner Nishon Ebanks failed to complete the final that was won by Melbin Marcelino of the Dominican Republic who ran a personal best 10.12 seconds with South Africa’s Emile Erasmus third in 10.19 seconds.
In the heats, Ebanks had run 10.13 seconds (0.4m/s) and Watson 10.16 seconds (0.6m/s), both for second.
-Paul A Reid