KINGSTON, Jamaica: Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Warren Weir, medallists at the London Olympics, ran away with the 200m titles at the final day of the Jamaica Athletics Championships yesterday.
Fraser-Pryce, who blazed the curve and straightened long before her rivals, crossed the finish line in 22.13 seconds with training partner Sherone Simpson second in 22.55 and training partner Anneisha McLaughlin third in 22.58.
“I came out here tonight to get a good run and I am glad I finish healthy, because that is priority now,” Fraser-Pryce said.
Fraser-Pryce, the London Olympic silver medal winner and Beijing and London Olympic 100m champion, chose not to run the 100 to better focus on the longer distance in the qualifying meet for the World Championships at Moscow in August.
“I skipped the 100m to concentrate on the 200m so I can get a good time and I am happy in the end,” said Fraser-Pryce, whose victory came with a legal 1.0m/sec tailwind.
Weir, the 200m London bronze medallist, had time to beat his chest as he crossed the finish line in 19.79 seconds before Nickel Ashmeade took second in 20.06. Jason Livermore was third in 20.10 with a 0.9m/sec tailwind.
Without reigning world and Olympic two-time champion Usain Bolt or injured sprint star Yohan Blake entered in the 200, Weir’s title effort might seem a bit hollow, but he said his chest-thumping was meant to send a message to all.
“I just want Jamaica and the rest of the world to know that this was no fluke. This was for real,” Weir said. “Excellent race, excellent result.”
In the men’s 400m, Javere Bell won in a career-best 45.08, with Javon Francis second in a personal-best 45.24 and Akheem Gauntlett third in 45.48.
“It was a good one, good execution. It’s something we have being working on in training all season,” Bell said. “(I’m) going back into training now and see what the rest of the season will be like.”
Novlene Williams-Mills took the women’s 400 final in 50.01 ahead of Stephanie McPherson, runner-up in a personal-best 50.28, with Patricia Hall third in 51.13.
McPherson, who was the fastest Jamaican coming into the trials, felt fortunate to have even made the world squad.
“On the backstretch, I felt my spikes leaving my right leg, and the same thing at the 200m mark, so it kind of threw me off a little bit, but I did enough to make the team,” she said.
Danielle Williams won the women’s 100 hurdles title. AFP
