Nigerian sprinter Favour Ofili (© Dan Vernon)
Favour Ofili, Britton Wilson and Julien Alfred were among the stand-out performers on a busy weekend of collegiate conference championship action.
Ofili, competing at the SEC Championships in Oxford, Missouri, came close to her lifetime bests when winning the sprint double. The Nigerian teenager, who represents Louisiana State University, took the 100m title in 10.93 (-0.7m/s) ahead of collegiate rival Abby Steiner (11.02). The 200m was even closer between the pair, but Ofili once again came out on top, running 22.04 to Steiner’s 22.07.
Ofili added a third title to her collection when LSU won the 4x100m in 42.59. Steiner, representing Kentucky University, once again finished runner-up in 42.63, but she gained redemption at the end of the championships after running a storming 48.78 split on her way to winning the 4x400m in a collegiate record of 3:21.93.
In a thrilling finish with sensational anchor legs from Charokee Young (48.90) and Britton Wilson (48.60) respectively, Texas A&M finished a close second in 3:22.01 with Arkansas third in 3:22.55.
Wilson had already established herself as one of the stars of the event after winning the one-lap double. She took the 400m flat title in a PB of 50.05 and followed it with another lifetime best to win the 400m hurdles in a world-leading 53.75.
US heptathlon champion Anna Hall was second in the 400m hurdles in 55.36 after clocking a PB of 54.91 in the heats.
Elsewhere in Oxford, Champion Allison won the men’s 400m in 44.74 from Elija Godwin (44.81).
Women’s sprints also produced the headlines at the Big 12 Championships in Lubbock, Texas.
St Lucia’s Julian Alfred, a student at the University of Texas, made another big improvement on what is turning out to be a superb breakthrough year for the 20-year-old. She won her 100m heat in a national record of 10.81 (1.7m/s) to smash the meeting record that had stood for 14 years.
The other heats were similarly fast with Kevona Davis setting a PB of 10.95 to win her heat and Rosemary Chukwuma take one of the other races in a wind-assisted 10.94. Most of the track finals in Lubbock will take place on Sunday (15).
Alfred later won her 200m heat in 22.46 (1.2m/s), once again setting a national record. Davis (22.49) and Kynnedy Flannel (22.54) were among the other heat winners.
In other action in Lubbock, Monae Nichols won the long jump with a PB of 6.97m (1.0m/s), backing it up with a 6.80m leap in the fifth round. Ruth Usoro was second with 6.78m. Stacey Ann Williams won her 400m heat in 50.29.
