Borel, Jehue grab bronze in Zurich

Cleopatra Borel and Jehue Gordon were third in their events at the prestigious Samsung Diamond League Weltklasse Meeting in Zurich, Switerzland. Borel recorded her second consecutive third-place finish in the women’s shot put (contested on Wednesday night), with a distance of 18.66 behind reigning World and Olympic champion Valerie Adams of New Zealand, who won with a meet record of 20.81 and American Michelle Carter 19.25. The top three places were determined in the first round as Adams went ahead with 20.52, which was enough to win the contest with Carter opening with 18.94 and Borel 18.60. Adams improved to 20.80 and 20.81 on her next two throws with her worst effort of 20.36 in the fifth round also beyond Carter’s best. Borel fouled her second throw and got her best in the third (18.66) and was three centimetres off her season’s best of 18.69 set at the Jamaican Invitional on May 5. She is now third on the Diamond League ranking on three points, and has finished no less than sixth in 2012. 

 

 

Gordon raced to third in the men’s 400m hurdles in 48.40 as Olympic champion Angelo Taylor of the USA was first to the line in 48.29. Cuba’s Pan American Games gold medallist Omar Cisneros also finished ahead of Gordon in 48.34. Gordon, who was sixth in the London Olympic finals, got revenge on Olympic champion Felix Sanchez (Dominican Republic) 48.42 and bronze medallist Javier Culson (Puerto Rico) 48.56 who were fourth and fifth. Another London finalist Leford Greene (Jamaica) 49.05 and silver medallist Michael Tinsley (USA 49.56) also saw the back of Gordon. The 20-year-old lies in fifth on the Diamond League standings with four points. Like Borel, he has finished no less than sixth this year.

 

 

Kelly-Ann Baptiste was also aiming at improving on her third-place finish in the women’s 100m in Lausanne, Switzerland on August 23, but the 2011 World Championships bronze medallist false-started and was subsequently disqualified. The Olympic sixth-place finisher had to watch the race in the changing room as Olympic gold medallist Shelly-Ann Fraser Pryce (Jamaica) blazed to gold in 10.83 turning the tables on American Carmelita Jeter, who was a distant second in 10.97. Fraser-Pryce retained her Olympic gold in London ahead of Jeter, the World Champion but Jeter whipped her Jamaican rival in Lausanne and Birmingham. Another Olympic champion, the 200m winner, Allyson Felix, also of the USA,  was third in 11.02.

 

 

Results