by Larry Eder
Brianna Rollins, photo by PhotoRun.net
ROLLINS LOST BY 0.005, RETURN OF CHAUNTE
DES MOINES (USA, Apr 26): The final track action (sellout crowd 14 504, total 40 795) at the 105th Drake Relays saw superb hurdles duel won by Kristin Castlin by 0.005 over last year unbeaten World champion Brianna Rollins (12.571 to 12.576). Rollins winning streak ends to at 19 events since US Olympic Trials 2012. Both times are also new meet records here and world leading times. “I was surprised,” Castlin said. “This is my first race of the season. I had a little bit of a chip on my shoulder being in lane eight. I had to execute my best race since I was out there on my own.” „This was a great opener,” Rollins said. “I just wanted to run a relaxed race and tried to focus on myself. Someone else beat me to the line but that’s okay. Someone beat to the line but that’s okay it was all in God’s plan. I have a race in Jamaica next weekend.” They were quoted by meet website. Third Kellie Wells 12.68 ahead of Queen Harrison 12.70 and British Tiffany Porter 12.73. Sixth Jackie Coward 12.73 over Olympic winner 2008 Dawn Harper-Nelson 12.87. The 400 m hurdles winner Tiffany Ross-Williams got 55.53 over Jamaican Nickeisha Wilson 55.68 and former World champion Lashinda Demus 55.97. In the men shuttle hurdles the USA White team consisting of Jeff Porter, Dominic Berger, Aries Merritt, and Ty Akins won by a slim margin over the Jamaican relay team comprised of Andrew Riley, Deuce Carter, Hansle Parchment, and Stephan Fennell. The USA White team posted a time of 53.77 (fourth all-time fastest), slightly ahead of the Jamaican time of 53.83. Another top US team did not finish (Oliver, Adams, J. Brown, R. Wilson). French Olympic winner Renaud Lavillenie with 570 on count-back beat again as in the mall jumping Briton Steve Lewis 570. And great come back by triple mother Chaunte Lowe with clearing 196 in the high jump. “I really didn’t know what to expect,” Lowe said. “It was a coin toss. I have been training really, really hard, but I hadn’t had any great competitions up to this point. I had two small ones just to see where my steps were. This week I came and jumped at Hy-Vee. That was exciting. To come out here and take the win made me feel like I still have the juice. The last real competition I had was in Belgium in 2012 right after the Olympic Games.” Second Inika McPherson PB 196 ahead of St. Lucia´s Levern Spencer 193, Olympic and world medalist Brigetta Barrett 193 and European Champion Ruth Beitia also 193. The 196 also equaled the world lead of Spencer. Ethiopian Aman Wote clocked 3:53.39 World lead in the mile over Nick Willis 4:00.71.
