Prefontaine Classic: Hurdles - Hazy Diamond debut for Hyde, Riley feeling good
Published:Saturday | May 30, 2015 | 12:00 AMAudley Boyd, Assistant Editor - Sport
Schoolboy Jaheel Hyde finished seventh in one of his earliest tests competing against the sport’s big guns in the men's 400m hurdles at the Prefontaine Classic at Hayward Field, University of Oregon, today.
The Wolmerian never had his best race and finished in 50.80 seconds.
Americans swept the top three places, with Johnny Dutch (48.20) beating Bershawn Jackson (48.22) and Michael Tinsley (48.79).
Hyde, Puerto Rico’s Javier Culson (50.10) and Estonia’s Rasmus Magi (50.08) were the only athletes who never went below 50.00 seconds.
Trinidad and Tobago’s Jehue Gordon pulled up injured.
Meanwhile, Jamaica's Andrew Riley recorded a season best 13.28 seconds to place sixth in a powerful field in the men’s 110 metres hurdles.
The Jamaican was a bit lethargic getting out of the blocks, but balanced himself to execute well over the last 60 metres, with the wind reading 1.5 mps.
“I feel good to come back and run in the 13.2s, it’s definitely a confidence-booster going forward,” Riley said, reflecting on the 13.42 clocking in his previous race in China.
Frenchman Pascal Martinot-Lagarde flew out of the blocks, got his timing well and hurdled smoothly to win in a world leading 13.06 seconds ahead of late-finishing US duo, Aries Merritt (13.12) and David Oliver (13.14).