media_artricles :: 2013

London leads Southern Games qualifiers

Reigning Carifta champion Mark London began his season by topping the men’s 800m and 1500m preliminaries at the Southern Games elimination heats at the Ato Boldon Stadium, Couva on Sunday.

The Carifta boys under 20 800m gold medallist landed the 800m in 1:53.60 to finish ahead of UTT’s Sterlin Paul (1:54.15) and Rebirth’s Denny Gaulbance (1:55.37). London also got under the Carifta qualifying standard of 1:54.00 for this year’s Games set for the Bahamas from March 30 to April 1.

London then was the quickest in the 1500m in 4:05.42, another Carifta qualifying run. The Zenith distance runner was among four double winners. Sprinters Adel Colthrust, Kadeem Campbell and Jenea Spinks completed 100/200m wins in their age groups. Colthrust of Southern Athletics continued his impressive early season form by topping the boys under 15 200m in a new personal best of 22.88, improving on the 23.06 he established at the NAAA development meet on January 26 at the same venue. The San Fernando Boys RC youngster was also the fastest in the 100m clocking 11.33.

Colthrust was named the NAAA top under 15 athlete in 2012 and has run unbeaten in both sprints for the last two years. Campbell (Memphis) landed the boys under 17 100 (11.18) and 200m (22.41), his second sprint double for the season after capturing the 150m and 300m sprint at the NAAA Meet on January 12 at the Hasely Crawford Stadium.

Spinks took the girls under 15 100m (12.55) and 200m (26.21). She recorded a similar feat at the meets on January 12 and 19 respectively. Olympic men’s 400m hurdles finalist Jehue Gordon was the best in the men’s 400m field.

Gordon clocked 48.20 and narrowly missed out a spot in the 800m finishing seventh in 1:58.51 with only the top six qualifying for the Southern Games to be held at Guaracara Park, Pointe-a-Pierre on March 16 & 17. Moriba Morain of Simplex (10.63) and Concorde’s Ayanna Hutchinson (11.80) were the quickest in the men’s and women’s 100m prelims.
In the field events all competitors advanced to the finals as there was not need for qualifiers.

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