Sport

Hinds smashes steeplechase record

( left )Korene Hinds in action at June's National Championships at the National Stadium. - Ian Allen ( right )Kemel Thompson ... won 400m hurdles in Italy.

KORENE HINDS SMASHED her own national record in the 3,000 metres steeplechase while placing third in the event at the Rieti Grand Prix track and field meet in Italy yesterday.

Hinds clocked 9:30.12 to improve the national mark by over three seconds. The previous record, 9:33.30, was set in the final of the event at the recent IAAF World Championships in Helsinki.

Mardrea Hyman, running at the same meet, also lowered her personal best in the event to 9:33.99 in placing fourth. The race was won by world champion Docus Inzikuru of Uganda in 9:16.46 with Russian Yekatarina Volkova second in 9:29.94.

Kemel Thompson was the only Jamaican winner at the meet. Thompson won the men's 400m hurdles in 48.16, beating Panama's Bayano Kamani, 48.57. Another Jamaican, Gregory Little, was third in a personal best 48.95 seconds.

Chris Williams, with a season, best 20.32, and Ainsley Waugh, a personal best 20.36, were second and third, respectively, behind Frenchman Ronald Pognon in the 200 metres. Pognon won the event in 20.27.

In the men's 100m Dwight Thomas was fourth in 10.10 behind Ghana's Aziz Zakari who won in 9.99. He was followed home by American Tyson Gay and Britain's Jason Gardner who were both awarded the same time, 10.08.

World Championships semi-finalist Kenia Sinclair was third in the women's 800m in 1:59.91. In a very close finish Kenya's Janeth Jepkosgei won in 1:59.15 from Russia's Olga Kotlyarova, 1:59.91.

Three world season bests by Maryam Jamal Yussuf in the women's 1,500 metres (3:56.79), Bernard Lagat in the men's 1500 metres (3:29.30) and the first time under 1:44 of 2005 in the men's 800 metres by Kenya's Wilfried Bungei (1:43.70) plus a 5.96m clearance (meeting record) by United States pole vaulter Brad Walker highlighted the meet.

Yussuf of Bahrain ran the fastest time in the world this year in the 1500 metres with an impressive 3:56.79. The former Ethiopian, who finished fifth at the World Championships in Helsinki, launched her attack at the bell and ran an impressive last lap.

The race produced an excellent depth of times with six women under the four minutes barrier. Natalya Yevdokimova finished second with 3:57.73, beating 2003 and 2005 World champion Tatyana Tomashova of Russia (3:59.05), Ethiopian Gelete Bati Burika (3:59.51), Spaniard Natalya Rodriguez (3:59.60 national record) and Yulyia Chizhenko of Russia (3:59.66).

Bungei has become the first man to dip under the 1:44 barrier this summer with an outstanding 1:43.70 which comes nine days after his Golden League win in the A race in Zürich.