by John Dye
Shana Cox says the Olympic Development camp she attended last summer
helped with her start. It showed here as the Holy Trinity (Hicksville
NY) junior faced a loaded 200 meter final field that included A.P.
Randolph soph Natasha Hastings, who last year broke the freshman
200 meter record held by Marion Jones. Earlier in the day, Hastings
blazed the 400 in 55.35, fastest of the young season in the
US. The Armory seeds favor lanes 6 and 5 as they start high on the
bank in the middle of the first turn. This race started with Hastings,
top seeded with the fastest prelim time, in lane 6 and Cox in lane
5. When the gun fired, Cox exploded around the turn and made up
the stagger on Hastings by the middle of the backstretch. By the
top of the home stretch, the race was over. Holy Trinity sprint
coach Duane Johnson credits the Olympic Development camp with Cox's
improvement this year. "It showed Shana her potential,"
Johnson said. "She believes now."
200 Meters
Cox peaks at the clock (23.85,
good for 11th on the all-time US list) . . .
|
. . . and roars. But actually,
Shana says she is shooting for 23.5, which would break Angel
Perkins national record set at the Armory last year. Hastings
24.48 (blue) was 2nd and Desiree Moorer 24.87 (red) was 3rd.
|
400 meters
Natasha Hastings routs strong field in new US#1 55.35. Former US#1
Meisue Francis, Boys & Girls NY, was second in 56.65 with the
next three taking the same spots on the national DyeStat Elite list:
3. Jeavon Benjamin, Far Rockaway NY 56.73, 4. Chinny Offor, Half
Hollow Hills NY 56.75, and 5. Tameika Hunter, Clinton NY 56.76.
|
Natasha Hastings led throughout;
here at the halfway mark.
|
Finish
Hispanic Games home page
|