Trinidad and Tobago’s shot put champion Cleopatra Borel placed 6th at the IAAF Brussels Diamond League event held in the City’s historical centre square (Grand Place) on Thursday (September 8).
Borel’s best throw of 17.59m, was her sixth and final one. She produced sub-par efforts with 17.7m, 17.22m, foul throw; 17.16m and 17.46m in her first five attempts.
Trinidad and Tobago’s five-time ‘Sportswoman of the Year’ awardee was unable to repeat her top throw at the Rio Olympics where she was seventh overall, with 18.37m.
But even if she had matched her Olympics’ best effort or her season’s best, she would not have been able to displace Marton from third-place position.
Borel’s season best of 18.78m (third place) was achieved at Birmingham on June 3, 2016 while her lifetime best and current national record is 19.42m, achieved at Paris Diamond League on July 8, 2011.
However, the main highlight of the event was the clash between newly-crowned Olympics champion Michelle Carter of the Unites States and arch-rival and silver-medallist Valerie Adams (New Zealand) as they continued to battle for supremacy.
And at the end of the face-off among the women ‘strong-arm’ combatants; Rio Olympics pre-eminence order remained intact with the top three places occupied by the gold, silver and bronze medallists- Michelle Carter, Valerie Adams and Anita Marton.
Carter, the five-time American champion who is coached by her father Michael Carter (a former Olympian and NFL star); maintained her dominance with outstanding throws of 19.98m (second throw) and 19.61 (third) after her first attempt was deemed a foul throw.
On the other hand; Adams, New Zealand’s two-time Olympics gold medallist (2008 and 2012); had to settle for second position with her sixth throw of 19.57m as her best effort.
And while Carter owns the bragging rights and consolidated her position at the top; Adams clinched the overall Diamond Trophy and collected US$40, 000 for emerging as the overall group winner.
