Sport
Jamaicans score sprint double at US Open athletics meet
Jamaican track and field athletes Nesta Carter, left, and Asafa Powell at a news conference. PHOTO/AP
Jamaicans claimed the sprint double at the US Open athletics meet on Saturday, with Asafa Powell beating compatriot Nesta Carter in the men’s 50-meter dash and Veronica Campbell-Brown taking the women’s equivalent.
American Trell Kimmons was third in the men’s race, ahead of 2004 Olympic 100-meter champion Justin Gatlin.
This is the first time since 2004 that Powell has raced indoors, as he tries a different approach after years of disappointments at major championships. Always a fast starter, Powell was right at home at the especially short distance.
“As soon as I got out of the starting block, the race was over,” Powell said.
Campbell-Brown easily won the women’s 50 in 6.08 seconds. She is seeking to become the first woman to win three straight Olympic gold medals in the 200.
“It’s a step in the right direction,” Campbell-Brown said of Saturday’s victory. “Each race is preparation for what is to come this summer.”
Campbell-Brown finished ahead of American Jessica Young and Nigerian Gloria Asumnu.
