Walter Davis triples to 17.62m in Guadeloupe
Wednesday 3 May 2006
As is usually the case after the Meeting du Conseil Général at Martinique’s Stade Dillon, several of the world’s most widely recognised athletes travelled north to Guadeloupe, like Martinique an overseas department of France, for the second half of a bookend weekend of NACAC Area Permit Meetings. The Stade Municipal de Baie-Mahault was the venue for the Grand Prix Orange on Monday 1 May 2006.
As is also usually the case, the results at Baie-Mahault in general didn’t quite measure up to those at Dillon, where three world season top performances were turned in (29 April). Two days later, even though some of the faces were the same, hard competition and travel had taken their toll.
Walter Davis of USA
(Getty Images)
Davis, Trammell, Pognon win again
An exception was in the men’s Triple Jump. Walter Davis who had established the world lead in Long Jump earlier in the weekend, nearly did the same in Triple Jump in Guadeloupe. The 27-year-old American is, after all, World indoor and outdoor champion in that event.
Davis totally dominated the competition in Baie-Mahault. At 17.21m, Aarik Wilson, his nearest rival, was 41 centimetres off the pace. Davis won with 17.62m, just a centimetre off the top mark in the World so far this season, by Cuba’s Yoandri Betanzos.
Terrence Trammell of USA
(Getty Images)
Some 48 hours after concluding the fastest 110m Hurdles of 2006 so far, Terrence Trammell ran the second-fastest time this year. In Martinique the wind had been 1.2 metres per second, in Guadeloupe it was -1.2, but Trammell still engineered a run of 13.24 seconds.
That time was enough to hold off fellow American Allen Johnson, whose 13.47 was a huge improvement over his sixth-place finish at Dillon. Ladje Doucouré, the reigning World champion in this event, appears to be searching for his best and most consistent form. His 13.57 left him third.
Ronald Pognon completed a solid weekend with another 100m win. Eschewing the 200m dash to focus on the shorter race, the 24-year-old won in 10.29 seconds. He beat the American duo of Dabryan Blenton (10.34, third in Martinique) and former World and Olympic Champion Maurice Greene (10.35).
Ronald Pognon of France
(Getty Images)
Bolt - a hard act to follow
Amoo Seth won the 200m, but far less impressively than had Usain Bolt earlier in the weekend, the Jamaican’s 20.08-second run a world leading time. Seth won in 21.05, the 21-year-old Ghanaian edging Americans Bernard Williams (21.07) and Brian Johnson (21.17). The wind on the straight was 0.3 metres per second.
The men’s 400m was run in two heats, which might have helped account for the times. Cuba’s Yeimer Lopez ran 45.36 to win the first heat. But Trinidad & Tobago’s Ato Modibo posted just 45.97 for second place. Conversely, in the second heat, where the winning time was 45.77 from Angelo Taylor of the USA, Chris Lloyd from the Commonwealth of Dominica ran 45.84 for second.
Another Cuban, Maury S Castillo, won the 800m, running the two-lap race in 1:49.58, just breasting the tape ahead of Bahrein’s Rachid Khouia (1:50.38).
Edwards adds two sprint wins
Torri Edwards ended her Euro-Caribbean trip with two wins in Guadeloupe, to add to her 100m victory from Martinique. The 29-year-old American took the 100m title in Guadeloupe as well, adding the 200m for good measure.
Near-identical weather conditions in Guadeloupe produced a near-identical race. Edwards ran 11.26 into a slight wind of -0.5 metres per second. She led an American sweep as Connie Moore (11.61) and Brianna Glenn (11.65) were second and third.
Disappointing for the hometown crowd would have been the poor finish of Sylviane Felix and Christine Arron. Arron, the European record holder in this event, faded out to a time of 11.90 for fifth, whilst Felix ran 11.74 for fourth.
Edwards completed the sprint double with a time of just 23.11, but again it was an American sweep. Crystal Cox took second in 23.59, whilst Moore crossed the line in 23.72 for third. The wind was a negative 2.4 metres per second.
Mary Danner improved but slightly from Martinique in terms of time, but her run of 52.09 seconds in the 400m sufficed for the win in Baie-Mahault. Tiffany Rose Williams, a 23-year-old American, was second in 52.45, and Ireland’s Karen Shinkins 52.62 for third.
Damu Cherry was another repeat winner from Martinique. The 29-year-old American, returning from suspension, overcame a headwind of 2.3 metres per second to run 12.96 seconds for the 100m Hurdles. Haitian competitor Nadine Faustin ran 13.21 for second. Danielle Carruthers of the USA was third in 13.22, but fellow countrywoman Nichole Denby was fifth after ending second in Dillon.
Not much else in the jumps
Davis aside, the jumps offered little. The top three in men’s High Jump was the same as in Martinique, but the order was different, and performances only a bit better. Adam Shunk won with a best height of 2.18m, the same height as Viktor Shapoval of Ukraine. Canada’s Kwaku Boateng, the winner in Martinique, had to settle for 2.12m and third place.
There was a reversal of form in the women’s Long Jump, as Ukraine’s Viktoriya Rybalko had a best trial of 6.48m to finish third. Akiba McKinney won with 6.59m – the American had cleared 6.54m for third in Martinique. Rose Richmond, second just two days before, managed just sixth in Guadeloupe. World Champion Tianna Madison of the USA forced herself into the reckoning with 6.49m to end second.
Terry Finisterre for the IAAF