by Alfonz Juck
Sydney McLaughlin, photo by PhotoRun.net
McLaughlin 22.39 and Gardiner 20.20
GAINESVILLE (USA, Mar 29): Florida Relays started with superb 200 m times. On the women side teen star Sydney McLaughlin clocked huge PB 22.39 (+1.5). It is fastest U20 time since 2003 and fourth best of all-time in that age category. One could think what she can achieve in her specialty 400 m hurdles with such speed. Second Joanna Atkins and third hurdles World record holder Kendra Harrison achieved the same 22.81. For the World Indoor champion Harrison also a PB, previous top mark was 23.00. Fifth in the race was the 400 m hurdles World champion Kori Carter 23.23. Puertorican 100 m hurdles record holder Jasmine Camacho-Quinn won another race with 22.59 but aided by +3.0. In the men´s 200 m new personal best for 400 m World silver medalist Steven Gardiner of Bahamas 20.20 (+2.0) beating 110 m hurdles World champion Omar McLeod 20.49. In the 400 m Bahamian Alonzo Russell got 45.44 win over triple jump World and Olympic winner Christian Taylor 45.48. Taylor´s last 400 m race was at Drake Relays in April 2014 when he clocked personal best 45.17. He plans to run more 400 m races in the summer. Third in the race 400 m hurdles veteran Bershawn Jackson 46.50. Jamaican Shawn Rowe won the 400 m hurdles in life-time best 49.17. In another race Bahamian Jeffery Gibson clocked 49.21 (his fastest since May 2016) over Jamaican Ansert Whyte 49.48. Women winner Grace Claxton from Puertorico achieved 56.30. Grenada´s record holder Anderson Peters won the javelin with 81.57. In high school 100 m prelims fast times for Anthony Schwartz 10.18 (+2.0) and Tamari Davis who at age of 15 improved to 11.29 (+0.5).
