Kelly Ann Baptiste is listed as the top woman sprinter in the world in the 100m in the latest International Association of Athletic Fedearation (IAAF) world rankings. Baptiste sped to the top spot with her 10.84 seconds clocking which she achieved in winning the 100m dash at Clearmont, Florida on June 5. The 23-year-old is now the first local female to top the world ranking in any event. In a release from the IAAF yesterday, Baptiste took the number one spot from American Carmelita Jeter who was ahead with a 10.94 clocking at the Jamaica Invitational on May 1. Jeter is now third behind Shalonda Solomon who ran 10.90 seconds to finish second behind Baptiste. Semoy Hackett is at 33rd with 11.27 seconds set in the semifinals of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division Two Championships on May 27 in Charlotte, North Carolina, USA. Semoy Hackett went to win finals (11.33) for the second straight year.
In the 200m listing, Hackett is at number 12 with 22.75 seconds. The former Bishop High School Tobago sprinter achieved the time in competing the sprint double at the NCAA Division two championships. The time is a new championship record and personal best for her. Baptiste in at number 14 with 22.82 which she ran at the Diamond League Adidas Grand Prix in New York, US on June 12th. Baptiste was 4th in that race behind 2002/2004 Olympic 200m champion Veronica Campbell Browne (Jamaica) who won in a world leading 21.98 seconds.
Among the men Keston Bledman sprinted his way to number 6 on the 100m chart following his impressive 10.01 seconds second place finish in the "B" race in New York on Saturday.
The time is a new personal best for the Olympic and World 4 x 100m relay silver medallist. At number 13th is Richard Thompson who won the "A" 100m race in New York. Thompson's best time for 2010 is 10.08 seconds which was set in winning his heat at the Diamond League Olso Bislett Games on June 4. Thompson went on to finish second in the finals in a wind assisted 9.90 seconds behind Jamaica Asafa Powell. In New York, Thompson, the 2008 double Olympic silver medallist, was the winner in 9.89 seconds, which was again wind assisted.
Marc Burns in at 22nd on the world list with 10.11 seconds which he set in finishing third behind Bledman. Several other TT athletes feature in the 100m. At 30th is Aaron Armstrong (10.17), 35th–Rondell Sorillo (10.19), 40th–Emmanuel Callander (10.21) and 86th- Marcus Duncan (10.29). Sorillo is also at eighth in the 200m with 20.29 seconds. Sorillo, a final year student at Kentucky University, won the NCAA Division one 200m title on Saturday in 20.36(wind assisted) to become the second TT athlete to win the title behind Ato Boldon in 1995.
In the men's 400m hurdles, Jehue Gordon is at seventh with 48.47 seconds set in Puerto Rico on May 8th. 18 year old Gordon competed in New York on Saturday and was eighth in the one lap hurdles race in 49.96 seconds. Emmanuel Mayers is at 33rd on 49.65 seconds. World Championships bronze medallist is at eighth in the women's event clocking 54.89 in Rome Italy on June 10th where she was fourth. Newly crowned NCAA 100m hurdles bronze medallist, Aleesha Barber is at 19th in the shorter hurdles race with her national record run of 12.85 seconds. Barber, who attends Penn State set the mark on May 29th. Many of these athletes are expected to compete at the NAAA/Sagicor National Junior and Senior Track and Field Championships set for June 25-27 at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo.