The Tribune

Hurdler Denisha Cartwright and sprinter Wanya McCoy produced qualifying performances for the Olympic Games in their respective collegiate meets, while quarter-milers Steven Gardiner and Wendell Miller pulled off victories in their professional meets.

Versatile Charisma Taylor was not to be left out as she broke her second Bahamian national record in the women’s triple jump to highlight the contingent of Bahamian athletes competing overseas over the weekend.

Cartwright’s hat trick

After running a wind-aided time in her last meet, Cartwright made it official when she posted her winning time of 12.60 seconds in the women’s 100m hurdles at the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Championships at her home field at the Minnesota State Outdoor Track and Field Complex in Mankato, Minnesota.

She became the third Bahamian female, joining world indoor 60m hurdles record holder Devynne Charlton and Charisma Taylor, to crack the Olympic standard in the 100m hurdles.

Cartwright’s time also broke the NCAA Division II, NSIC, facility and the MSC programme records and was listed as the second fastest in collegiate outdoor track this season and the 15th quickest time in women’s 100m hurdles in collegiate history.

In what turned out to be a spectacular senior season, Cartwright also captured the 200m with a season’s best and facility record of 23.07, which was second in Division II this year, She added that to her NSIC record of 22.71.

Cartwright, a former volleyball player following in the footsteps of her father Leslie “Russia” Cartwright, took the 100m as well in another faculty record of 11.30. She even holds the NSIC record of 11.10.

McCoy second fiddle

After running the second leg for the University of Florida for third place in the men’s 4 x 100m relay, Wanya McCoy had to settle for a pair of second place finishes in the men’s sprints at the James G Pressly Stadium in Gainesville, Florida.

McCoy, a junior, battled to a personal best of 19.93 in the 200m for second place as he eclipsed the Olympic qualifying standard of 20.16. Three other competitors also surpassed the Olympic standard, led by Tarsis Orogot of Alabama in 19.75.

Between the relay and the 200m, McCoy clocked another lifetime best of 10.02 for another second place in the men’s 100m after qualifying for the final with 10.09.

However, he just missed the Olympic qualifying standard of 10.00 that was surpassed by Godson Oghenebrume of Louisiana State University in 9.99 in taking the title.

Hanna ends up in third place

At the Summit League Track and Field Outdoor Championships, Tristen Hanna, a senior at South Dakota State, got third in the men’s triple jump with a leap of 48-08 (14.83m) on his first attempt.

Isaiah Hopf of St Thomas won the event with 49-11 (15.21m).

Hanna, showing his versatility, got 10th in the men’s javelin with a heave of 160-10 (49.03m) on his third attempt. Matt Kraft of North Dakota State won with 234-11 (71.61m).

And Angel Pratt, representing North Dakota State, was sixth in the women’s 400m hurdles in 1:01.29 after running 1:01.99 in the preliminaries. Jacy Pulse of South Dakota took the win in a conference record of 57.70.

Pratt, a junior, also anchored ND State women’s 4 x 400m relay team to second place in 3:43.48.

Thompsons shine

At the Atlantic Sun Conference outdoor Track and Field Championships at the University of Central Arkansas in Conway, Arkansas, Grand Bahamian sisters Cassie and Cassidra Thompson make their presence felt.

Cassie Thompson, competing for Jacksonville, won the 200m in 23.07 to erase her previous record of 23.82. Andros native Troynelle Miller, a junior at Central Arkansas, was sixth in 24.57. Raghen Allen, a freshman at Central Arkansas was second in 23.70.

Thompson, in her junior year, also won the 100m in 11.29, which was shy of Florida International’s Tanya Lawrence’s meet record of 11.25. Miller was third in 11.57 behind Allen’s second place in 11.56.

Cassidra Thompon, a sophomore at Jacksonville, also won the women’s 400m in 53.86. Raven Payne, a freshman at Bellarmine, was a distant second in 54.62.

Gardiner triumph

Coming off his appearance at the home at the World Relays Bahamas, men’s 400m Olympic and world champion Steven Gardiner made the third stop on the Wanda Diamond League in Doha, Qatar a successful one.

Gardiner who helped the mixed 4 x 400m relay team qualify for the Olympic Games in Paris, France in August, took the victory in the men’s 400m in 44.75m which was just shy of his season’s best of 44.45 just before the World Relays.

The Bahamian national record holder with a lifetime best of 43,48 made it look so easy as he led from start to finish to easily hold off the rest of the field that saw Muzala Samukonga of Zambia come the closest as he trailed in a season’s best of 45.07 for second.

“It is really windy today, but it is always nice to be here at the Seahorse Doha DL. Happy to be back after two years,” said Gardiner, who established a meet record of 43.87 in 2018.

“It was a pretty good race today. I took control from the beginning. It was kind of windy at my back, but I just took control. Doha always has an amazing crowd. I expected a full house tonight and this is what happened. Now I just hope to stay healthy.”

Also competing at the meet was Commonwealth Games’ gold medalist Laquan Nairn. Competing in his specialty, Nairn scored 24-feet, 11-inches (7.59m) on his second attempt for eighth place. He opened with 23-8 3/4 (7.23m) and followed with 23-7 1/2 (7.20m) on his and 24-1 1/2 (7.35m) on his fifth.

Jamaican Carey McLeod won the event with a wind-aided leap of 27-11 1/2 (8.52m) on his fourth attempt.

Miller Victorious/Taylor National Record

Fresh of his appearance at home last week in the men’s 4 x 400m relay at the World Relays, Wendell Miller returned to his training base in Jamaica where he competed in the Jamaica Athletics Invitational.

He ran a personal best of 45.57 for his victory in the men’s 400m well ahead of his second place rival Deandre Watkin of Jamaica, who was second in 46.04. Miller missed the Olympic cut of 45.00.

Grand Bahamian Alonzo Russell, who also competed at the World Relays on both the mixed 4 x 400 and men’s 4 x 4, ran in the men’s A 400m where he was sixth in 46.53. Matthew Hudson-Smith of Great Britain won in 44.69.

In the women’s triple jump, Charisma Taylor, who ran here on the women’s 4 x 100m relay team, went for her second Olympic qualifier in the women’s triple jump.

Taylor needed to jump at least 47-9 (14.55m), but while she fell short, her leap 46-02 1/2 (14.08m) surpassed the previous mark of 46-0 1/2 (14.03m), which was held by Tamara Myers from April 27, 2019.

Taylor had another strong effort on her second attempt with 46-01 1/2 (24.06m) as she ended up in fourth place in what could be a prelude to the Olympics,

Jamaica’s Shanieka Ricketts took the title with her best of 47-07 (14.50m) with American Jasmine Moore second with 46-10 34 (24.28m) and Dominica’s Thea Lafond third with 46-08 (14.22m) on her sixth and final attempt.

Taylor now holds both the indoor and outdoor national records. Last year, she earned the indoor record with her leap of 46-0 3/4 (14.04m) at the Tiger Pew Invitational in Clemson.

Also at the meet, Kaiwan Culmer, contesting the men’s triple, was fifth with 52-08 3/4 (15.94m) on his third attempt. Winning the event was Jamaica’s Jayden Hibbert with 57-07 3/4 (17.57m).

And Kyle Alcine, competing in the men’s high jump, cleared 6-08 3/4 (2.05m) for seventh place. Jamaica’s Raymond Richards took the victory with 7-04 1/4 (2.24m).