No athletes were able to reach Olympic qualifying standards in any events during the Barbados National Championships over the weekend. This was the final opportunity for Barbadian athletes to qualify for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, which are less than a month away.
Some of Barbados’ top athletes such as Sada Williams, Tristan Evelyn, and Johnathan Jones (who have already qualified) did not compete, but there were still a number of locally well-known athletes who turned out in hopes of making it to Tokyo.
One of the most anticipated showdowns was between national record-holder Kierre Beckles and overseas-based Hannah Connell in the women’s 100-metre hurdles. Connell was heading into the event with a season’s best of 13.07 seconds in comparison to Beckles’ 13.51 seconds. In the end, the veteran Beckles, who represented Barbados at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, came out victorious but fell short of the qualification standard after running a time of 13.51.
The biggest upset of the championships came in the men’s 100-metre finals when favourite Mario Burke was beaten by Kuron Griffith. Burke, who will be representing Barbados in Tokyo, ran a disappointing 10.39 seconds with a wind reading of -1.9. Despite winning the event, Griffith was not able to reach the qualifying standard, finishing in a time of 10.30 seconds. In the women’s 100-metres, Jovanna Gustave finished first in a time of 12.09 seconds, which is also outside of the qualifying standard.
There is no other opportunity for Barbadian athletes to meet the qualifying standard with the National Championships being the last sanctioned meet before the June 29th deadline for qualification. The Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 will begin on July 23rd and run until August 8th.
Hibbert produces world leading 17.75m to take top spot at Racers Grand Prix
World Under-20 record holder Jaydon Hibbert produced a world leading 17.75m to win the triple jump at the Racers Grand Prix at the National Stadium in Kingston on Saturday.
Hibbert opened his competition with 16.45m in the first round before going out to 17.14m in the second round, giving the National Stadium crowd a sign of things to come.
The third round saw him produce a then-meet record of 17.30m before, in round four, he produced a stadium record and world leading 17.75m to secure the victory.
O’Brien Wasome produced 16.64m for second while Jordan Scott was third with 16.06m.
“I was satisfied with the third and fourth jump of the series,” Hibbert said after the competition.
Seville outduels Lyles to claim 100m title at Racers Grand Prix; Alfred runs personal best to claim title in women’s equivalent
Oblique Seville and Julien Alfred produced a pair of scintillating performances to claim the 100m titles at the Racers Grand Prix at the National Stadium in Kingston on Saturday.
Seville produced a personal best and world leading 9.82 to claim the men’s race ahead of American World champion Noah Lyles and Kenya’s Ferdinand Omanyala.
Lyles’s time in second was a season’s best 9.85 while Omanyala ran 10.02 in third.
“I came out here in front of my Jamaican fans looking for a personal best and to get it today means a lot to me,” Seville said after the race.
“I just came out here to deliver. You’re always going to have ups and downs with the wind but you just have to run through it,” he added.
“As long as I’m healthy, expect good things,” was Seville’s response when asked about what fans can expect from him at Jamaica’s Olympic trials set for June 27-30.
In the women’s equivalent, St. Lucian World Indoor champion Julien Alfred sped to a personal best and meet record 10.78 to win ahead of Krystal Sloley who broke 11 seconds for the first time with 10.99 in second and Shashalee Forbes who ran a season’s best 11.05 in third.
Alfred says she didn’t expect to run that fast.
“I wanted to come out here and just work on execution. I didn’t expect that time and that’s why I was smiling so much,” she said.
Smikle produces 65.65m to win discus throw at Racers Grand Prix
Reigning Jamaican national champion Traves Smikle took the win in the men’s discus throw at the Racers Grand Prix at the National Stadium in Kingston on Saturday.
Smikle, a five-time national champion, produced 65.65m to win ahead of Samoa’s Alex Rose who threw 65.02m and American Reggie Jagers III who threw 64.64m.
Despite the win, Smikle admitted that his performance wasn’t up to his usual world class standards.
“I wasn’t my best today based on my standard and how I know I am but, at the same time, I’m in a competition where I have to go out there and do it, I’m competing against some of the best in the world and I am in my home town so I had to deliver,” Smikle said.
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