Trinidad and Tobago’s Kelly-Ann Baptiste celebrated her national call-up to the 2nd IAAF/BTC World Relay Championships by speeding to 10.98 seconds to win the women’s 100m at the Tom Jones Memorial Invitational in Gainesville, Florida, USA on Friday (April 24). 

Baptiste secured the top spot in a quality race ahead of training partner and former World Junior 200m champion Shalonda Solomon (USA – 11.06) and World Junior and World Championships sprint relay gold medalist Jamaican Simone Facey (11.15). 

The victory is the first for the Plymouth sprinter this season following her windy 22.91(+2.1) third place finish at the Pure Athletic Sprint Elite Meet 1 in Clearmont, Florida on April 18. 

The win comes days after Baptiste was named on T&T’s women’s 4x100m team for the World Relays in the Bahamas on May 2-3.

The 2013 World Championships bronze medalist is now fourth on the 2015 World List just behind compatriot Michelle-Lee Ahye (10.97).  

Jamaican Elaine Thompson and America’s Jenna Prandini head the World Rankings with 10.92. The sub-11 clocking is the 18th in her career since the Bethesda Government/Signal Hill Secondary graduate first dipped under the that barrier in 2009.

With Baptiste and Ahye in impressive form, T&T’s women’s 4x100m team will be looking to challenge  sprinting super powers the USA and Jamaica for the top spot in the sprint relay in the Bahamas.  Kai Selvon, Reyare Thomas, Kamaria Durant and Lisa Wickham are the other team-members.  At the 2014 World Relays Ahye led the national ladies to bronze.

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