By Anthony Foster, Freelance WriterTHE INTERNATIONAL Association of Athletic Federations (IAAF) High Performance Training Centre (HPTC) 4x400 metres team produced a sizzling display at Saturday's 28th renewal of the Gibson Relays held at the National Stadium.
Trying to find a team to upset the HPTC powerhouse which includes Mellard Brown, World Junior 200m champion Usain Bolt, World Junior 400m bronze medallist Jermaine Gonzales and Trinidadian Simon Pierre in that order, G.C. Foster Track Club employed the services of Michael McDonald, Christopher Williams, Junior Burnett and Danny McFarlane, but the move backfired as they lost by about 30 metres.
Brown opened up against McDonald with a 47.0 split, despite handing over second, Bolt on the second leg ran 44.9 to embarrass Williams, a former World Championships silver medallist, before providing Gonzales (46.0) with a 12-metre lead, which he extended to send Pierre (46.0) on his way, giving national 400m hurdles champion McFarlane no chance.
HPTC's time of 3:04.16, which demolished the 17-year-old mark of 3:07.40 held by Seton Hall of the United States, was good enough for them to cop the best relay performance of the meet award. G.C. Foster Track Club was far back in 3:08.96, ahead of It Dat Track Club 3:23.03.
In other relays for senior institutions, national champion Asafa Powell ran a super anchor leg to lead the University of Technology (UTech) to a record 39.24 victory in the 4x100m.
In breaking the 15-year-old mark of 39.70 seconds set by CAST Club, UTech defeated G.C. Foster Track Club (40.13) and MVP (40.56) with national high jump champion Germaine Mason on anchor leg.
G.C. Foster College took advantage of the absence of UTech, which was disqualified for a double false start to win in 46.55 ahead of Excelsior Community College (49.26) and It Dat Track Club (50.45).
In the Special Olympics event, St. Catherine (47.06) won ahead of St. Ann (47.26) and Kingston A (47.76), While the Masters section went to It Dat (50.05) over KC (50.15) and INSPORTS (52.90).
In some individual events, UTech's Winston Smith (10.36) won the men's 100m dash, while his teammate Sherone Simpson ran 11.11 in breaking the women's seven-year-old mark of 11.21 done by Bahamian Eldeece Clarke.
The 400m titles went to Kimani Williams (47.13) on the men's side and G.C. Foster College's Sheryl Morgan (54.27), who beat Kerrian Stewart of UTech (55.88) and Colombian champion Anable Jimenez (56.03).
Evan Allen (3:52.73) took the 1500m and Hibbert McGregor (7.53m) the men's long jump, while Brian Haye of Ardenne (13.6) won the boys' 110m hurdles and Jamaica College's Franklyn Anderson (3.80m) took the pole vault Open.
