Jamaica’s Campbell sprints to 100m bronze

ATHENS: Jamaican Veronica Campbell snatched the Caribbean’s first track and field medal at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games with a third place finish in the women’s 100-metre final last night. Yuliya Nesterenko of Belarus ran a powerful race to land the gold medal in a tight finish in 10.93 seconds, edging American Lauryn Williams (10.96) and Campbell (10.97) to become the first non-American to win the Olympic 100-metre title in two-dozen years.

Campbell, who appeared to lose valuable ground from a stumbling start, becomes the fourth Jamaican and Caribbean medallist in the event —  after Merlene Ottey (twice), Juliet Cuthbert, and Tayna Lawrence. English-speaking Caribbean put five athletes into today’s men’s 100-metre semi-final, after a quarter-final series that produced superb sub- ten clockings from Americans Shaun Crawford, Justin Gatlin, and Maurice Greene, Jamaica’s Asafa Powell, and Portugal’s Francis Obikwelu. Greene rebounded from two defeats against Powell in the past month with a victory over the powerful Jamaican in heat five in 9.93 seconds. Both sprinters ran conservatively and the less experienced Powell, the current world number one, coasted through to second in 9.99.

Gatlin was a solid heat three winner in 9.96 seconds and the tall Nigeria-born Obikwelu cruised to a Portugal national record 9.93 seconds to win the first heat ahead of Jamaican Dwight Thomas, who equalled his personal best 10.12. World champion Kim Collins of St Kitts and Nevis ran a comfortable race in a personal season’s best 10.05 for second behind Ghana’s Aziz Zakari (10.02), with Jamaica’s Michael Frater (10.11) third in that heat. Also advancing from the Caribbean was Barbadian Sydney bronze medallist Obadele Thompson, who chased Crawford for second with a time of 10.12. The Netherlands Antilles’ Churandy Martina (10.24), Cayman’s Kareem Streete Thompson (10.24), and Trinidad and Tobago’s Nicconnor Alexander (10.48) were all eliminated

Today, Barbadian cyclist Barry Forde rides in match sprint. He enters the event with some good credentials —  several Pan Am Championship titles —  and he also won a World Championship bronze and double Pan Am Games gold last year although he suffered the disappointment of being stripped of those medals after a positive test for a banned stimulant.