Home|Sports|Jones ties fastest Bahamian markSports
He becomes the second Bahamian to run sub-10 seconds in the 100m
Simba FrenchSend an emailApril 17, 2023 388 3 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email
Bahamian Terrence Jones put on a show for the crowd in attendance when he tore up the Percy Beard Track at the Tom Jones Memorial Invitational in Gainesville, Florida, on Saturday, tying the Bahamian national record in the men’s 100 meters (m). Jones lay his claim to being The Bahamas’ fastest man ever, sprinting to a personal best clocking of 9.91 seconds on Saturday.
Jones’ time boosts him up in the big leagues as he matched the national record time of Derrick Atkins from International Association of Athletic Federations (IAAF), now World Athletics, World Championships in Osaka, Japan, in August 2007. Atkins won a silver medal with that time.
As for Jones, this was his fifth time running the event collegiately, but first for the 2023 season.
The Grand Bahama native ran the seventh fastest time on the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) all-time list. Jones is now the second Texas Tech Red Raiders athlete to run that event in sub-10 seconds in school history. Devine Oduduru was the first, accomplishing the feat in 2019.
Jones, who won the 60m dash at the 2023 NCAA Division I (DI) Indoor Championships, has the fastest time in the NCAA DI rankings and he’s also the world leader. The Texas Tech junior is the only collegiate athlete to run sub-10 so far this season, and with that time, he’s also qualified in that event for the World Outdoor Championships this summer, adding to the qualifying time he has in the 200m. The 19th World Outdoor Championships is set for August 19-27, in Budapest, Hungary.
Jones’ teammate Courtney Lindsey was second in that race on Saturday with a time of 10.04 seconds. Florida State University’s (FSU) Amir Willis was third with a time of 10.08 seconds.
The Bahamian and Lindsey teamed up with Adam Clayton and Don’dre Swift to run the 4x100m. The quartet was third, finishing in 38.60 seconds. Gainesville Elite won that race after crossing the finish line in 38.28 seconds.
Bahamian Antoine Andrews was also in action for the Red Raiders. Andrews placed sixth in the 110m hurdles after posting a time of 13.66 seconds.
Keyshawn Strachan’s collegiate career is off to a great start. The 19-year-old threw the javelin 76.97m (252’ 6”) on his third attempt to win at his second consecutive meet for Auburn University. He threw over 70 meters in the four attempts he took.
Strachan was followed by Baylor University’s Chinechrem Prosper. He was over six yards behind Strachan with a throw of 70.75m (232’ 1”). Louisiana State University’s (LSU) Jackson Rimes recorded a throw of 65.23m (214’) to place third.
University of Tennessee’s senior Charisma Taylor clocked a wind-aided 12.84 seconds to finish second in the collegiate women’s 100m hurdles. The University of Central Florida’s Rayniah Jones clocked 12.80 seconds to win that event. Coastal Carolina University’s Alexis Glasco finished third in a time of 12.91 seconds.
Taylor was not finished for the meet as she was in the triple jump pit. She posted a leap of 13.58m (44’ 6-3/4”) to take home the bronze medal. Winning that event was Dominica’s Thea LaFond with a leap of 14.13m (46’ 4-1/4”). The University of Florida’s Jasmine Moore finished second after recording a leap of 13.91m (45’ 7-3/4”).
Alonzo Russell was on the track in the men’s 400m. He powered his way across the finish line in a blistering 44.73 seconds, placing second, and tying Troy McIntosh and LaToy Williams for fifth on the all-time list among Bahamians. Adidas’ Jereem Richards won that event after posting a time of 44.68 seconds. Richards’ club teammate Noah Williams ran 45.22 seconds for third.
Devynne Charlton made her outdoor season debut, competing in the Olympic Development 100m hurdles. The hurdler opened her season with a blistering time of 12.64 seconds which was her fastest season opener ever. She finished third. Nike’s Nia Ali was the winner after clearing the hurdles in 12.53 seconds. Winning the silver medal was reigning world champion in the hurdles Tobi Amusan, who ran for Adidas, finishing in 12.59 seconds.
Charlton also ran in the 100m dash and placed 11th overall with a time of 11.66 seconds.
Devynne’s younger sister Anthaya Charlton was in action for the University of Kentucky. She ran in the 200m and the 4x100m relay. She was 34th overall in the 200m posting a personal best of 23.47 seconds. The freshman ran the second leg of the 4x100m relay and helped her team that included Victoria Perrow, Masai Russell and Karimah Davis to a first-place finish in 43.12 seconds. Ohio State ran 43.27 seconds for second. Tumbleweed Track Club was third with a time of 43.63 seconds.
Shaun Miller Jr. was in the high jump competition for the Ohio State University Buckeyes. He cleared 2.14m (7’ 0-1/4”). That height placed him tied for fourth place with Oakland University’s Alex Hugh-Plot. Mississippi State University’s Tony Jones won that event with a height of 2.19m (7’ 2-1/4”).
Also competing at the Tom Jones Invitational were Ohio State’s Adrian Curry and Oscar Smith, and Purdue University’s Zachary Evans. Curry placed 34th overall in the 100m with a time of 10.54 seconds and Evans placed 48th with a time of 10.69 seconds. Smith ran the 110m hurdles and was 14th overall after running 13.91 seconds.