Kemba Nelson wins first pro race, Kerrica Hill takes over U-20 lead
World Championships relay silver medallist Kemba Nelson won her first professional race after she topped the women’s field at Sunday’s CAS Meeting International held at Stade Jean Jacoby in Schifflange, Luxembourg, a World Athletics Continental Tour- Challenger event.
The 2019 Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association’s National Junior women’s sprint double champion, and men’s discus thrower Rojec Stona, were the only Jamaicans to win at the meet.
World Athletics Under-20 champion Kerrica Hill ran a World Under-20 leading 12.85 seconds (0.9m/s) in the 100m hurdles.
Nelson, the former National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Indoor 60m champion, while at the University of Oregon clocked 11.12 seconds (-1.3m/s), easily ahead of France’s Mallory Leconte who ran 11.44 seconds and Germany’s Jennifer Montag 11.60 seconds.
Shasalee Forbes was disqualified after a false start while Serena Cole eased up after about 50 metres and stopped running in her race.
Stona dominated the men’s discus throw, winning with 65.64m and also had a second-best mark of 65.39m. Jamaican national champion Traves Smikle was second with 63.82m.
Hill, who has raced sparingly this season, ran 12.85 seconds (0.9m/s) in the first round and did not show up for the final. This was only her second hurdles race of the season and took over the World Under-20 lead from National Junior Champion Habiba Harris- 12.95 seconds with a third Jamaican, Tonie-Ann Forbes, in third place with 13.05 seconds.
Another Jamaican, Hydel High’s Shania Myers, also ran 13.27 seconds (1.3m/s) at the meet on Sunday. National record holder Rajindra Campbell, who is ranked sixth in the world, was second in the men’s shot put with 21.12m, as Luxembourg’s national record holder Bob Bertemes won with 21.36m with USA’s Roger Steen finished third with 20.98m.
National junior champion Gary Card was the only Jamaican man in the 100m and ran 10.27 seconds (0.8m/s).
-Paul A Reid