Cuban sprinter Reynier Mena (© Getty Images)
Reynier Mena became the first Cuban man to break 20 seconds for 200m, winning the half-lap sprint at the Resisprint International – a World Athletics Continental Tour Challenger meeting – in a stunning 19.63 on Sunday (3).
Mena, a bronze medallist over both sprints at the 2013 World U18 Championships, was a convincing winner and was delighted to see that his race had a legal wind reading (1.2m/s). In second, France’s Meba Mickael Zeze crept inside 20 seconds with a 19.97 PB while Italy’s Filippo Tortu was third in 20.15.
The 25-year-old Mena also broke 10 seconds over 100m for the first time earlier in the afternoon, clocking a PB of 9.99 to finish second to Sri Lanka’s Yupun Abeykoon, who won in a PB of 9.96 (1.6m/s). Zeze was third in that race in 9.99, also a PB.
It was Abeykoon’s first foray into sub-10-second territory, and he becomes the first man from South Asia to break the barrier.
Several national records were broken in the women’s events too. Israel’s Diana Vaisman won the 100m in a national record of 11.06 (1.2m/s) to beat two-time world 200m champion Dafne Schippers (11.13).
Line Kloster set a Norwegian record of 53.91 to win the 400m hurdles. Later in the afternoon, she clocked a wind-assisted 22.51 to win her heat of the 200m. Olympic finalist Beatrice Masilingi was fastest in that event, winning her heat in a season’s best of 22.29 (1.9m/s).
Poland’s Anna Kielbasinska, who finished second to Masilingi in 22.76, had earlier won the 400m in 50.31, just 0.03 outside the PB she set last month. Elsewhere, Cuba’s Roger Iribarne won the 110m hurdles in a PB of 13.26 (1.7m/s).
