by William A. Stafford, posted on 7/9/2011
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PARIS – Former Louisiana State University (LSU) Lady Tiger national champion Kelly Baptiste, a native of the twin-island Trinidad and Tobago nation, scored her first career IAAF Diamond League victory in the 100m dash yesterday, July 8, at this year’s Meeting Areva, establishing a new 2011 season best of 10.91secs to upstage Jamaica’s Veronica Campbell-Brown.
In perhaps the greatest triumph of her professional career, Baptiste beat the former World 100m champion to the finish line with her fastest wind-legal time in the 100m this season.
Campbell-Brown followed Baptiste in second place with a time of 10.95. The Jamaican 2011 national champion is perhaps the world’s leading female sprinter as the two-time defending Olympic gold medalist in the 200m dash. She has also captured a pair of World Championships silver medals in the event to go along with her 2004 Olympic bronze medal and 2007 World Championships gold medal in the 100m.
Baptiste, the 2008 NCAA champion, is poised for a run at the World title this summer as her 2011 best of 10.91 ranks No. 5 worldwide in the event. She lowered her previous season best of 10.94 that was set at the Jamaica International Invitational in Kingston on May 7.
She is also rounding into the form she displayed in 2010 when she set her personal record of 10.84 during a June meeting at the NTC Stars Invitational held in Clermont, Florida.
Baptiste is the heavy favorite to capture her sixth career women’s 100m title at the Sagicor National Open Championships to be held Aug. 13-14 at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Port-of-Spain. She will look to earn a spot in the 2011 IAAF World Outdoor Championships Aug. 27-Sept. 4 in Daegu, South Korea.
William A. Stafford is the LSU Associate Sports Information Director
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