James and Felix led outstanding performances by Grenadian Athletes

NEW YORK, May 17, 2010 – World Youth double gold medallist Kirani James of Grenada lowered his personal best over the 400m at the Southeastern Conference (SEC) Outdoor Championships in Knoxville, Tennessee on Sunday.
 

James, a freshman at the University of Alabama, clocked 45.01 seconds to win the one-lap event and set himself up for a major showdown at the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Oregon next month.

James, who was the runner-up in the 400m at the indoor SEC championships in February, defeated a filed which included the numbers one and three fastest 400m sprinters in the world (Calvin Smith, Florida and Tavaris Tate, Mississippi State).

In the process, the former Grenada Boys’ Secondary School (GBSS) standout set a new school record and the fifth-best time in the world this season.

“It’s just good to gain experience,” James told his school’s website. “Coach said just go out there and compete to the best of my ability. I knew if I just went out there and followed my race plan, I would get the win. I felt really good the whole way around.”

Also in winners’ row this weekend was Kurt Felix who bettered his career-best point total by nearly 200 points, earning 7,412 points to win the men's decathlon for Boise State University at the Western Athletic Conference Championships in Ruston, Louisiana.

Felix is now ranked No.14 in the United States and score the second-best decathlon score in Boise State history.

Felix also finished second in the javelin (67.16m), second in the high jump (2.12m), third in the triple jump (14.67m) and also third in the long jump (7.17m).

Also recording creditable performances on the weekend were Phylicia George (University of Connecticut), Kevin Bowen (Morgan State University), Sherine Wells (Oklahoma University), and Joel Phillip (Arizona State University).

At the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Championships in Princeton, New Jersey, George came in second place in her specialty, the 100 meter hurdles, with a time of 13.69 as she entered the weekend ranked 15th in the region in the event. She was also a part of the first place 4x100 meter relay of the University of Connecticut.

Also, Bowen set his season best time in the 400m during the preliminaries in a time of 46.30 to rank him in the top 20 in the East Region. Bowen finished the second in the final with a time of 46.50.

 

Wells finished seventh in the women’s 100m with a time of 11.58 and eighth in the 200m in 23.89 at the Big 12 Championships in Columbia, Missouri. 

In the Pac-10 Championships Phillip finished sixth in the men's 400m in a time of 47.11 seconds.

Photo credits: Michael Steele/Getty Images