James destroys field in marquee event

Kirani James (lane 4) brought his talents to the 592 and claimed the marquee 400m event at the third Aliann Pompey Invitational (API), clocking a winning time of 44.99 seconds. (Orlando Charles photo)

Former Olympic and World champion Kirani James brought his talents to the 592 and claimed the marquee 400m event at the third Aliann Pompey Invitational (API), clocking a winning time of 44.99 seconds.

The Grenadian known as the ‘Jaguar’ finished about eight metres ahead of his nearest competitor to record the fastest quarter mile ever run in Guyana despite the rainy conditions at National Track and Field Centre (NTFC).

The meet’s headliner produced a blistering final 200m burst to beat runner-up Chidi Okezie (45.97s) of Nigeria. Guyana’s 400m metre record holder, Winston George joined the duo on the podium after finishing in 46.13s, almost a second slower than the time he won last year’s race in (45.16s) while lowering the national record.