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It was a double coronation for 24 year old Michelle-Lee Ahye with a national record to boot, as the Rebirth athlete underlined her form with an impressive 22.33 finish in the 200 metre final at the 2016 NGC/Sagicor NAAA National Open Championships this evening in the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Port of Spain.
(Courtesy Allan V Crane/Wired868)
Ahye’s record run ends a productive weekend in which the sprinter also copped the 100 metre final in a competitive field.
Zenith’s Semoy Hackett, who was Trinidad and Tobago’s 200 metre record holder before today’s final, finished second with 22.61 to cop the other automatic qualifying spot for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
It was Hackett’s second silver of the Championships, as she also finished behind Ahye in the 100 metre dash.
Reyare Thomas of Abilene was third in 22.72 followed by Kelly-Ann Baptiste (22.79), Kai Selvon (22.88), Kamaria Durant (23.13) and La Jones-Ferrette (23.19). The NAAA can use its discretion to select two from those four athletes, who have all attained Olympic standard.
In the men’s 200 metre final, La Brea’s Rondell Sorrillo, who was the only Trinidad and Tobago athlete in this event to make the Olympic standard this year, copped gold with a wind assisted 20.24.
Sorrillo, 30, has now won the NAAA Championship’s 200 metre title on five occasions with his last win in 2012.
Sorrillo had his revenge today as he beat Thompson to the 200 metre crown.
(Courtesy Chevaughn Christopher/Wired868)
Thompson, the current 100 metre champion, finished second with 20.54 seconds while Guyana’s Winston George was third in 20.64. Concorde’s Shermund Allsop finished just outside the medals with 20.67.
TTOC’s 2015 Athlete of the Year, Machel Cedenio of Simplex, was golden in the 400 metre event with a sizzling 44.444 finish that saw him finish ahead of Nike’s Lalonde Gordon (44.69).
It was the 20 year old Cedenio’s first local senior 400 metre crown and secured a maiden Olympic berth for the 2014 World Junior Championships winner. Gordon will represent Trinidad and Tobago in Rio too but third placed Deon Lendore of Abilene did not meet the Olympic standard with his time of 45.47.
Zenith’s Renny Quow, who was the 400 metre champion in 2014 and 2015, finished fifth.
Rebirth’s Cleopatra Borel-Brown also cruised to gold in the women’s shot put event with a throw of 17.88 metres, which was comfortably ahead of Toco Tafac’s Portious Warren (15.59m) and Falcons’ Chelsea James (14.85m).
Borel-Brown, 37, will be Trinidad and Tobago’s only representative in the women’s shot put at Rio as she is now set for her fourth successive Olympic Games.
(Copyright Adrian Dennis/AFP 2016/Wired868)
There was an upset in the 400 metre hurdles, though, as Puerto Rico’s Eric Alejandro thundered to gold in 50.17 seconds ahead of Trinidad and Tobago’s World Championships title holder, Jehue Gordon.
Gordon, who competes for Memphis Pioneers, was second in 50.44. He is yet to meet the Olympic standard of 49.40 in 2016, although he is still eligible to compete in Rio since he met the required time last year.
Rebirth’s Emmanuel Mayers was third in 50.49.
In the men’s javelin (800 g) final, there was no stopping reigning Olympic champion Keshorn Walcott though, as the 23 year old sensation secured his third national title with a throw of 80.45 metres.
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Lasana Liburd is the managing director and chief editor at Wired868.com and a journalist with over 20 years experience at several Trinidad and Tobago and international publications including Play the Game, World Soccer, UK Guardian and the Trinidad Express.
Wha is all dis ting about olympic qualifying times? Since when u needed to be at a certain time to run in olympics?
You need to meet a certain criteria to get in.
But every olympics we have people running and swimming who have never come close to the qualifying standards…
From obscure places and lands….
Congrats to all
This was from previous discussion on why we have such fast times at the Hasely Crawford Stadium. Ato Boldon had explained it was partially down to a cross wind which is not illegal. The IAAF have checked our track and clocks and were satisfied with them.
Interesting…..
The only Realistic chance we have of Medaling in August is in the Relays (4×100 M, 4×100 F, 4×400 M, Michelle have a shot in the Individual Sprints as well.
Jehue have been having a tough time with Injury, it would be left to seen if he can somehow regain his top form before August, I think he is behind the clock.
Keshon has an Outside Chance but only if he could Exceed His PB by at least 2m.
Been really Impressed with Khalifa St Forth Progression, She would Certainly be a contender for a Medal in 4 Years time, Pending Her Progression rate continues…….
Wish all Our Athletes well in Rio though ?
So you don’t think we can medal in the men’s 400 metres?
400m men individual medal is a definite possibility. St. Fort didn’t seem to start for the 200m final and she didn’t run the final in Tobago. Do you know if there are some injury concerns?
She ran the 4×100 relay last night. Maybe they were just being cautious.
There’s 1 spot up for Grabs, Bonze….. We aren’t Gonna get it with 44+ Clocking.
I would like to know also is this seniour Champs or Olympic trials? So why are sprinter participating in events they not gonna do in olympics?
I adjusted the women’s times. That was an error on my part.
This is the championships rather than Olympic trials. For instance, nobody made 200 metre time but they can still qualify by making the standard at another meet. Sorrillo has already qualified via that route.
Guess it is up the athlete to give himself an option of qualifying in an event that isn’t his or her forte or not.
So why are using it as a trials then why atheltes are competing in events they not going to represent in Rio
But the women made the standard time though?
Yes the women did. The men had an illegal headwind. But even without that only Sorrillo was fast enough.
Who is using it as a trial?
I was really impressed with Rondell Sorillo, much improved!
So.why were they doing special presentations when our Olympic Champion was throwing?
Agreed
It’s just a fast track. Kind of like US championships track in Oregon is fast. Also they are all running for spots.
Hey guys there’s wind metre for all sprint events during the meet and it was in operation during the championships…so that is not an issue……
In all fairness to the clock at at the HCS, there was a discussion in this group a few months ago where it was resolved that there is a special breeze that passes through the stadium that causes athletes in the sprints to record faster-than-normal times.
IMHO, it is the responsibility of athletes to be true to themselves and add back a few seconds to their times.
In other words, don’t celebrate over a 9.97 in a 100M when it’s actually a 10.02 when converted back to real-world time.
Really now?
Never knew that
Actually Ato Boldon was part of the discussion and acknowledged it as well.
Thanks for this info.
I’m searching for the the post. Will tag you folks.
ok
The 200 metre men’s was wind assisted. But the women’s was a legal wind of about 1.7 or so. I’m not sure how that compares to elsewhere.
Yayyyyyyyyyy
I have often wondered about the times at the HCS but I think that Ato Bolden would have expressed his concern with the times and he did not so I am hopeful that there is some explanation other than the clock being off.
Why allow a Puerto Rican to compete in the 400m final? I know it’s an open championship…but is this normal for a final? Lasana Liburd
Peter Samuel is it normal? I’m not sure.
Yeah I assumed the foreigners would have been in a B final
Okay. It is because they are not enough people for the 400 metre hurdle finals. It is supposed to create a full field.
Remember too that decent competition should spur on our athletes to make Olympic qualifying times.
If there were seven other local hurdlers of requisite talent, there would not have been a foreigner in the final.
This is how it was explained to me.
My understanding…. When there are foreigners, it is also because they are trying to meet qualification standards for the Olympics and to represent their respective countries. For example, there are some events in which T&T do not have TTO Olympic qualifiers but were close. If these TTO athletes could participate in IAAF or IOC sanctioned event abroad and meet qualification standards they could appeal to be on team TTO if there are open slots and enough time to register.
Yes. In those countries, they also might not have the facilities to meet Olympic standards. But usually they would run in their own final and not against Trinis. In the case of the 400 metre hurdles, there was not enough Trinis for a full field.
There is a process! The NAAA gave them permission to participate. Should they meet the qualification standards, the NAAA promptly forwards the qualification data to the IAAF and the athletes’ national sports governing association.
Right. But Cherisse was asking why they were allowed to be in the same final.
There is usually an A and B final in which the B final tends to have those types.
Right. Exactly. That was the point she was making. And I tried to explain why it didn’t happen that way in the hurdles final.
Understood. Thanks guys.
lmao its called reality
When the times from this weekend are compared against the times next week against the big guns, one would be wondering what these athletes drank on the flight out of T&T that slowed them down.
neither do i, ill wait for og before i judge as we know when they run home they get superspeed smh lol
That is great but not going to get my hopes up come August.
Meet Olympic times though
Not going and get me excited been there done that.
Preach the word Joann Charles!
Don’t trust the clock at the HCS
Lassana yuh have meh confused with the women’s times … 🙁
How so?
I must have been high Malik! I just adjusted… Bad night for Argentine fans yes :-/ Lol
They won the women’s Champions Trophy (hockey) on Sunday. Hockey v Football I suppose is a no contest but the weekend was not a total failure
Andy, I wish I could be so easily consoled! Lol
Lol …. nah small ting …tough night for the argentines indeed
Lasana Liburd was this advertise?
Hmmm. I guess so. Just according to if you listen to radio I guess. I don’t listen to radio much myself.
Pass there today and ask myself what’s going on in the stadium The advertising for any sporting event in Trinidad are so poor ??
This was on the radio whole week.
I listen 100 or something so. Lol. Did hear it man. Same thing for the U20 games it had.
St Fort
How come we had an empty lane in the 200m finals? False start, injury? I think it was suppose to be St Forde. Hope she’s ok
Excellent sprint double , my girl.
Our athletes seem to be more than ready for RIO .
Are gymnasts athletes in the sense in which you use the term here? Do we know, Lasana Liburd, whether Marisa Dick is also “more than ready” for Rio? Can Wired868 find out, send someone to interview her? I think the sporting public would be interested in hearing how she has been spending her time since the Rio Test Event in April.
You’re trying to get us depressed again Earl? Lol. I will enquire. But how to gauge that? An exercise in futility I think. Smh