SEASON’S BEST: Brianna Rollins clears a hurdle on the way to victory in the Women’s 100 Meter Hurdles on day three of the 2013 USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships at Drake Stadium in Des Moines, Iowa. — AFP photo
DES MOINES, Iowa: Brianna Rollins served notice she is a force to be reckoned with by matching the fourth-fastest 100m hurdles time in history at the US Athletics Championships on Saturday.
Running in her first US outdoor nationals, Rollins booked a berth at the World Championships by posting a dominant victory over a quality field in a time of 12.26 seconds.
Only Bulgarian Yordanka Donkova, who set the world record of 12.21 in 1988, and compatriot Ginka Zagorcheva have run faster.
“I just feel so overwhelmed, so emotional,” Rollins said. “It is so amazing.”
The 21-year-old, who until turning professional this month was competing for Clemson University, improved on her own season-leading time of 12.39.
She ran under that in both the heats and semi-finals, but both times were wind-aided.
Rollins finally got a legal wind of 1.2 meters per second in the final and flew to an American record.
Queen Harrison was a distant second in 12.43 and Nia Ali claimed a third berth for the World Championships in Moscow on August 10-18 in 12.48.
Lolo Jones’ hard luck in big events continued. The hometown favorite, who endured disappointment at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics, was fifth.
Dawn Harper, who has a bye into the worlds as the Diamond League 100m hurdles winner last season, opted out of the semi-finals and final.
Rollins, whose best 100m hurdles time prior to this season was 12.70, has now established herself as a contender against the likes of Harper and world and Olympic champion Sally Pearson of Australia.
It’s heady stuff for an athlete who only took up running in high school “because someone told me I was fast.”
She opted for hurdles “because I thought it was interesting and fun to do.”
Rollins’ scintillating performance was one of three world-leading performances on Saturday.
Olympic silver medallist Brigetta Barrett won the women’s high jump with a season-leading 2.04m, and said she thought she could have jumped higher but followed her coach’s instructions to stand pat and keep her eyes on Moscow.
She comfortably beat Inika McPherson (1.92) with Maya Pressley third (1.89).
Olympic silver medallist Michael Tinsley became the first man this year to break 48 seconds in the 400m hurdles, winning with a time of 47.96.
Kerron Clement was second in 48.06 and Bershawn Jackson third in 48.09. Johnny Dutch, who had the previous season’s best of 48.02, was fourth in 48.21, missing out on a Moscow berth. – AFP