LINZ, Austria, CANA:
JAMAICANS Michelle Freeman and Bev McDonald, Obadele Thompson of Barbados, and Cayman's Kareem Streete-Thompson posted Caribbean victories at the IAAF Linz Grand Prix yesterday.
Freeman landed the women's 100-metre hurdles, McDonald captured the women's 200m, Thompson took the men's 200, and the men's long jump crown went to Streete-Thompson during a good evening for Caribbean athletes preparing for next month's Sydney Olympics.
Freeman, a 1997 world championship bronze medallist and former Commonwealth champion, narrowly beat American Melissa Morrison to win the sprint hurdles in 12.72 seconds and claim the overall lead in the women's Grand Prix standings. Morrison was timed at 12.75.
Freeman has 55 points, overtaking Bahamian sprinter Chandra Sturrup (52.5) on the Grand Prix list.
McDonald, last year's World Championship silver medallist, returned 22.66 in her 200m victory over fellow Jamaican Astia Walker (22.79) and Britain's Joice Maduaka (23.17) of Britain.
Thompson rebounded from a 100m loss, to capture the 200m in 20.11 seconds, only 0.01 outside the season's best time for the Barbadian 1998 World Cup 100-metre gold medallist. American veteran Dennis Mitchell (20.39) was no threat to Thompson in second.
Earlier in the 100m, Thompson's 10.09 clocking, earned him third behind American Coby Miller (10.05) and Ghana's Abdul Azziz Zakari (10.06) in a close finish.
Streete-Thompson (8.26 metres) beat struggling Cuban world and Olympic champion Ivan Pedrosa (8.02) to win the men's long jump.
Jamaican Tayna Lawrence chased Ukraine's Zhanna Pintusevich to take second in the women's 100m in 11.12 seconds, the same time recorded by third placed Myriam Mani of Cameroun. Pintusevich won in 11.10 seconds.
Davian Clarke, Jamaica's 1996 Olympic finalist, was third in the men's 400m in 45.53 seconds, behind Americans Alvin Harrison (45.19) and Jerome Young (45.38).
There was also a third place finish for Barbadian Andrea Blackett, the 1998 Commonwealth 400-metre hurdles champion. In form American Sandra Glover, the event's world leader, won in 54.08 seconds, over Iceland's Gudrun Arnadottir (54.78), and Blackett (54.79). Jamaicans Catherine Scott (55.89) and Patrina Allen (56.23), were fourth and sixth, respectively.
American Dawn Burrell won the women's long jump at 6.81m, ahead of Germany's Heike Drechsler (6.73), with Jamaica Lacena Golding eighth at 6.35.
