Raymond Graham, Freelance Reporter

Natasha Ruddock - File

WORLD 60 metres hurdles Indoor finalist Lacena Golding-Clarke scored a double win over the weekend, but there was bad news for upcoming star Natasha Ruddock, who injured her hamstring.

The 33-year-old Golding-Clarke, who has represented Jamaica on numerous occasions at both the junior and senior levels, showed that she has no thought of giving up as she posted a wind-aided 12.88 seconds to win the women's 100 metres hurdles at the Texas Twilight Invitational in Austin, Texas, on Saturday. She returned later to capture the 100 metres in 11.69 seconds.

Another veteran, Michael Black-wood, was also victorious at the same meet as he won the men's 400 metres in 46.06 seconds.

Upcoming hurdling star Ruddock, who had an outstanding Indoor season in the 60 metres hurdles for Essex County College in New Jersey, had a setback at the Morgan State Legacy Meet in Baltimore over the weekend.

Ruddock, who broke the NJCAA Indoor 60 metres hurdles record at the Championships in March and who started her outdoor season in style with a 13.48 seconds clocking over the 100 metres hurdles a few weeks ago, pulled up in the 4x100 metres relay.

Easy 13.64

After cruising to an easy 13.64 seconds in the preliminary round of the 100 metres hurdles, Ruddock, running the anchor leg for in the 4x100m relay, stopped after some 30 metres as she felt a pain in her left hamstring. Although in tears while leaving the track, Ruddock, who has an outstanding chance of winning gold for Jamaica at the World Junior Track and Field Championships this summer, was able to walk on her own.

She was expected to make a good show this weekend at the Penn Relays while competing with the top college athletes in her event. This looks unlikely, however, as her coach Mike Smart stated that he will make an assessment today, as he is thinking about the National Championships in June.

Former Vere Technical athlete Patricia Hall, after a quiet season last year, was bang in form at the Vanderbilt Invitational in Tennessee as she recorded 52.16 seconds to take the 400 metres event, while finishing third in the 200 metres in 23.64 seconds.

Sped to victory

Latoya Greaves, the former Queen's School athlete, continued her good form this season as, competing for Oklahoma University at the John McDonald Invitational in Arkansas, she sped to victory in the 100 metres hurdles in 13.30 seconds.

At the same meet, several of the Lincoln University athletes, coached by Jamaican Victor 'Poppy' Thomas, did well. Former Vere Technical star Kwayne Fisher won the men's 100 metres college event in 10.53 seconds while his teammate, former Camperdown High star Dwayne Bryden, was second in 10.68. In the Invitational 100 metres, former Holmwood Technical runner Kemar Bruce was fourth in 10.45 seconds.

After many years of promise, former Holmwood Technical star Nadine Palmer looks like fulfilling her potential this year with two second-place finishes at the TCU Invitational in Texas. She recorded times of 11.38 and 23.11 seconds in the 100 and 200 metres. On both occasion her St Kitts' Virgil Hodge took the gold.