Sha'Carri Richardson in action in the 100m (© LSU Athletics / Brandon Gallego)
A flurry of speedy sprint performances headlined both NCAA Preliminaries as US collegiate athletes attempted to book their spots at next month’s NCAA Championships by placing among the top 12 in their events.
Sha’Carri Richardson of Louisiana State University was one of the standout performers at the East regionals in Jacksonville, Florida. The teenager had been denied potential 100m PBs on five separate occasions this year due to excessive tailwinds, but the conditions on Friday (24) – the second day of the three-day championships – finally cooperated.
She won the 100m in 10.99 (0.7m/s), becoming just the third US U20 woman in history to better 11 seconds for the distance, moving to equal fourth on the world U20 all-time list.
Richardson followed her 100m win with 200m performances of 22.67 and 22.74, booking her place at the NCAA Championships in that event too. Cambrea Sturgis was fastest overall in the 200m, clocking 22.52 (1.0m/s).
Florida’s Grant Holloway advanced safely through the 110m hurdles, winning his heat in 13.10. Regional rival Daniel Roberts of Kentucky was close behind, though, recording 13.13 to win his heat and setting up a mouth-watering clash at the NCAA Championships.
Following his 400m PB of 44.38 three weeks ago, Trevor Stewart impressed over one lap of the track with 44.55 and 44.77 to emerge as the top qualifier in the East.
There were fast times in the shorter sprints too. Ghanaian sprinter Joseph Amoah of Coppin State topped both rounds of the 100m, clocking a PB of 10.10 (1.2m/s). He was closely followed by Japan’s 2015 world U18 champion Hakim Sani Brown, who recorded 10.13 (0.7m/s)
LSU’s Jaron Flournoy led the 200m qualifiers with 20.09 (1.4m/s) while Sani Brown was second overall once again, clocking a PB of 20.13 to move to third on the Japanese all-time list.
Elsewhere, Jeanine Williams won the 100m hurdles in a slightly wind-assisted 12.62 (2.3m/s), Quincy Hall was a comfortable leader in the 400m hurdles with 48.54, and Anderson Peters dominated the javelin, throwing a best of 80.06m.
Just a few hours after Richardson had sped to her 10.99 clocking at the East Regionals, Teahna Daniels of Texas matched that mark in the 100m at the West Regionals in Sacramento.
The 22-year-old shaved 0.07 off the PB she set two years ago and was comfortably the fastest qualifier ahead of world U20 silver medallist Twanisha Terry (11.14).
Daniels followed it with a PB of 22.51 in the 200m but was only the third fastest overall in that event behind NCAA champion Anglerne Annelus and Janeek Brown, both of whom set PBs of 22.36 (1.8m/s) and 22.47 (0.6m/s) respectively. Brown had clocked a wind-assisted 12.71 in the 100m hurdles just 35 minutes prior.
Chanel Brissett, fastest in the 100m hurdles with a wind-assisted 12.69, later teamed up with USC teammate Annelus to win the 4x100m in 42.84.
Divine Oduduru, the fastest collegian this year in the men’s 100m and 200m, easily advanced in both events. He clocked 10.06 in the 100m to finish second overall behind Cravon Gillespie, who recorded 10.01 and 10.03.
Oduduru then placed second overall in the 200m with 20.08 behind Texas Tech teammate Andrew Hudson (20.04). The duo later teamed up to win the 4x100m in 39.00, just 0.03 ahead of an Oregon squad that featured Gillespie on the second leg.
Other highlights in Sacramento included Kahmari Montgomery’s 400m win in 44.78, Adrian Piperi’s shot put triumph in 20.83 and Laulauga Tausaga’s 62.69m win in the women’s discus.
Jon Mulkeen for the IAAF
