Clarke clocks 45.94 to win in Spain
published: Saturday | February 26, 2005

Clarke

MADRID, Spain, CMC

Jamaican veteran Davian Clarke scored another victory on the European Indoor circuit Thursday when he captured the men's 400 metres at the Madrid IAAF Permit Meeting.

Clarke, a silver medallist in the event at last year's World Indoors, logged a narrow win over the Dominican Republic's Carlos Santa as Caribbean athletes swept the top two positions in the event.

Following a win in the Norwich Union Grand Prix last week in England, Clarke fought off Santa (45.96) to win in 45.94 seconds, his second fastest time this season, bettered only by his 2005 world third-best 45.90 at the Norwich Union meet.

Spain's David Canal was a distant third in 46.49 seconds.

hurdles finishes

The Caribbean also had top-three finishes through hurdlers Dudley Dorival, Michelle Freeman and Vonette Dixon.

In the men's 60-metre hurdles, Haiti's Dorival clocked 7.63 seconds, behind the Spanish winner Felipe Vivancos (7.60) and Sweden's Robert Kronberg (7.62)

In-form Jamaican Maurice Wignall stumbled out of the event and placed last in 16.30 seconds after he had won his semi-final in 7.56 seconds, easily the quickest time of the evening's preliminaries.

Dixon and Freeman had both won their women's 60-metre hurdles semi-final races in 7.99 and 7.96 respectively, but Spain's Nigeria-born veteran Glory Alozie topped them in the final, with a fast win in 7.92 seconds.

Freeman got second in 7.95 seconds and Dixon was third in 7.98, equalling her personal season's best.