ZAGREB, Croatia, CMC – World champion Ryan Brathwaite captured his first race since his stunning Berlin triumph while Veronica Campbell-Brown rekindled her winning ways at the 59th IAAF Zagreb Grand Prix yesterday.
The 21-year-old Brathwaite took the 110-metres hurdles in 13.35 seconds, to finish ahead of David Oliver who was timed at 13.41 seconds, in a meet missing most of the big names.
Reigning Commonwealth champion Jamaican Maurice Wignall was fourth in 13.48 seconds while fellow countryman Richard Phillips crossed the line in 14.03.
Brathwaite’s win follows his third place at the Golden League meet in Zurich last Friday where he was beaten by Jamaican Dwight Thomas, with American Terrence Trammell second.
His time, however, was way off the 13.14 national record he set at the World Championships earlier this month when he beat the American duo of David Payne and Trammell.
Campbell-Brown, meanwhile, who left the World Championship with precious little to show for her efforts, whipped a poor quality field en route to taking the 100 metres sprint.
She stopped the clock at 11.15 seconds, finishing well ahead of Germany’s Verene Sailer (11.39), with Bulgarian Ivet Lalova third in 11.64 seconds.
Jamaican Simone Facey finished down the field in seventh after clocking 11.85 seconds.
Campbell-Brown finished fourth in the 100 metres in Berlin and took silver in the 200 metres.
There was no success in the corresponding men’s event for the Caribbean as American Darvis Patton won in 9.94 seconds, with compatriot Mike Rogers close behind in 9.97 seconds.
Jamaican Nesta Carter clocked 10.04 seconds to be third with Emmanuel Callender of Trinidad & Tobago and Michael Frater of Jamaica, fourth and seventh respectively.
The Caribbean also missed out in the women’s sprint hurdles as American Dawn Harper took the event in 12.67 seconds, with Jamaican Delloreen Ennis-London trailing her home in 12.76 seconds.
Jamaica, however, swept the 400-metres hurdles with Isa Phillips winning the men’s version in 48.51 seconds and Kaliese Spencer taking the women’s equivalent in 54.69 seconds.
In the women’s 400 metres, the Jamaican pair of Novlene Williams-Mills (50.96) and Shericka Williams (51.14) finished second and third respectively, to follow home winner Russian Tatyana Firova (50.80).
