Bad lighting causes Parchment injury in Jamaica
By Kayon Raynor, From Chicago Tribune
KINGSTON (Reuters) – Olympic bronze medalist Hansle Parchment was forced out of the Jamaican national championships after he twisted his ankle due to inadequate lighting during the warmups for the 110 meters hurdles final on Saturday.
Parchment, who has run the world’s leading time this year of 13.05 seconds, trod on a hurdle in the warmup area shortly before the final, which was won by Andrew Riley.
“He was warming up and twisted his left ankle on one hurdle, which was lying around,” Parchment’s coach Fitz Coleman told Reuters. “The lighting could have been better at the warmup track.”
The Jamaican championships are doubling as selection trials for the Caribbean country’s squad for the world championships in Moscow from Aug 10-18.
The 23-year-old Parchment could still be included for Moscow as the Jamaican athletics’ federation rules allow him a wild card selection if he remains in the top three in the world.
“I’m happy to win, but it was really disappointing not to have someone as fast as Parchment in the race because he hurt his ankle during warmup,” Riley said after he clocked 13.33 to win the title ahead of Dwight Thomas (13.45).
“Having limited lights before a big hurdles final in the warmup area was really not good.”
Double Olympic 100 meters champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce made easy progress to Sunday’s final of the women’s 200 meters with the fastest time in all three semi-finals.
Fraser-Pryce, who holds a wild card entry to the 100 in Russia, cruised to 22.64 seconds in the first semi-final, while Beijing Olympics 100 silver medalist Sherone Simpson won the second in 22.85. Anniesha McLaughlin won the third in 22.88.
In the men’s’ 200, 2011 world championships finalist Nickel Ashmeade clocked a brisk 20.07 seconds to lead Olympic bronze medalist Warren Weir 20.27 into Sunday’s final.
World and Olympic champion Usain Bolt has a wild card entry into the event in Russia.
American collegiate (NCAA) 800 meters champion Natoya Goule became just the second Jamaican female to qualify for the world championships in the event.
Goule lead from start to finish to clock a career best one minute, 59.93 seconds to win the event in the absence of national record holder Kenia Sinclair.
“I was concentrating on making the “A” qualifying standard, so when I came through the first lap in 58.1 seconds I knew I was on target to dip below two minutes for the first time,” Goule said.
“That was the pre-race strategy given to me by my coach and it worked.”
For more on this story go to:
