Ottey... There is life left in the 44-year-old.
- FileTALLINN, Estonia, CMC:
MERLENE OTTEY showed there is life left in the old woman yet when she won the 100 metres dash at the European Athletics Association permit meeting 'Tallinn 2004' on Wednesday.
The 44-year-old, Jamaica-born Ottey clocked an impressive 11.18 seconds, a new national record for her adopted country Slovenia, to slam a field that included Jamaica's Peta-Gaye Dowdie.
Cuba's Virgen Benavides finished second in a time of 11.38 and Lithuania's Agne Eggerth was third in 11.45. Dowdie finished sixth in 11.67.
The strong Jamaican contingent had expected wins in the men's 100 metres, 400 metres hurdles, and the long jump, as well as the women's 400 metres. But Grenada's Neisha Bernard-Thomas edged out Canada's Aimee Teteris to win the women's 800 metres in a time of two minutes, 03.71 seconds.
Patrick Jarrett, making a comeback to the track after a drugs suspension, started the Jamaican invasion when he clocked 10.49 and outlasted Trinidad and Tobago's Jacey Harper (10.64) to win the men's 100 dash.
BECKFORD WINS LONG JUMP
Dean Griffiths, ranked at nine in the world, continued his steady form in the 400 metres hurdles when he ran 49.56 to comfortably win that event.
James Beckford leapt 8.19 metres to win the long jump and Novlene Williams clocked 51.65 to claim the women's 400 metres.
Two other Jamaicans had podium finishes. Davian Clarke finished second in the men's 400 metres in 45.89 and Lacena Golding-Clarke would have been disappointed with her third-place finish (13.00) in the women's 100 hurdles in which compatriot Suzanne Dickerson was fourth (13.12).
Elsewhere, Jamaica's Kadiine Geddes leapt 6.27m to place fourth in the women's long jump won by Finland's Heli Koivula with a jump of 6.65m, while Cuba's Yudelkis Fernandez was ninth with a disappointing 5.87m.
