Eight Jamaicans for Reebok Boston Indoor Games
THE Visa men’s 60m, a highlight of today’s Reebok Boston Indoor Games, will feature three Jamaicans — Steve Mullings, Mario Forsythe and Dexter Lee.
They will contend with a crack batch of athletes led by 32-year-old veteran Americans Shawn Crawford, 2004 World Indoor 60m silver medallist; Kerron Clement, two-time 400m hurdles world champion and world indoor 400m record holder; and Mike Rodgers, reigning 60m and 100m US champion and defending champion of this event which he won in 6.58 seconds.
Daniel Bailey of Antigua & Barbuda is also competing, after a sizzling 2009 during which he broke the national record in the 60m (6.54sec) and 100m (9.91sec) as well as double sprint 2008 Olympic bronze medallist Walter Dix of the United States.
Twenty-seven-year-old Mullings, a seasoned 60m sprinter, ran his personal best 6.59sec in 2004 while Lee, 19, a World Youth and World Junior Championships 100m champion, will take part in his second 60m.
Forsythe, 24, is set to make his debut in the indoor sprint event after posting a personal best 10.16sec in the 100m last year.
Five other Jamaicans will take part in Reebok Boston Indoor Games. Simone Facey will run the 60m, Shereefa Lloyd the 400m, Kenia Sinclair the 1,000m, Madrea Hyman 3,000m and Korene Hinds 5,000m
In the women’s 60m, Facey goes up against speedy 2005 long jump world champion Tianna Madison, Muna Lee, and Marshevet Myers, all Americans.
Lloyd will face main competition from American Monica Hargrove in the one-lap event, but the Reebok Boston Indoor Games has long been known for its long-distance events where Sinclair, Hyman, and Hinds are hoping will set the pace for the rest of the year.