Brown pulls lame in Golden League 100m

TRINIDAD and Tobago teenage sprint sensation Darrel Brown failed to finish his 100 metres race at the Gaz de France Golden League meet in Saint- Denis, France yesterday. According to his mother Marilyn Brown: “He phoned home and told me just when he was about to go into overdrive, he felt a twinge in his hip and stopped.” Only last month at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo, Brown fell to the track wincing in pain because of muscle problems, just at Marc Burns who finished runner-up and winner Ato Boldon in the national final. Yesterday’s race was won by Francis Obikwelu of Portugal in 10.06 seconds, beating American Maurice Greene (10.14) into second. Third was Aziz Zakari of Ghana also in 10.14 seconds with Brian Lewis (US) fourth in 10.19.

Obikwelu made it a double when he won the 200 metres in 20.12, from American Joshua Johnson (20.28) and veteran Frankie Fredericks (Namibia) 20.35. In the women’s 100 metres, Trinidad and Tobago champion Fana Ashby could only manage sixth in 11.33 seconds, behind winner Christine Arron (France) who clocked 11.10 seconds ahead of Debbie Ferguson (Bahamas) 11.11, Ivet Lalova (Bulgaria) 11.13 and Inger Miller (USA) 11.22. Of Caribbean interest, Bahamas Tonique Williams won the 400 metres in 49.15 seconds, beating Ionela Tirlea-Manolache (Romania) 50.48, with Christine Amertil, another Bahamian third in 50.58. Felix Sanchez (Dominican Republic) won the men 400 metres hurdles in 47.99 seconds ahead of Naman Keita (France) 48.17 with Dal Tamesue (Japan) third in 48.60.