Bailey glitters with lifetime best

Raymond Graham, Gleaner Writer

Former Kingston College athlete Alain Bailey produced a world-leading 8.35 metres to win the men's long jump on Saturday for the University of Arkansas at the NCAA Division One Southeastern Conference (SEC) Track and Field Championships at Knoxville, Tennessee.

Competing on the second of the three-day event, Bailey's winning mark was a lifetime best, surpassing the 8.21m he did at the National Championships last year.

A final-year student at the University of Arkansas, Bailey, who competed in the event while representing Jamaica at the Berlin World Championships last year, was very elated.

"I feel pretty good that I was able to do so well as I have not competed a lot since my indoor success due to a knee injury. I am hoping to go even further this season as I am working on perfecting my technique," said Bailey, who is looking forward to the East Regional Meet next weekend and the NCAA National Championships in early June.

Winning mark

Bailey produced his winning mark on his sixth attempt to clear the previous world best for 2010 - 8.33 - which was done by Australian Chris Noffka in Sydney a month ago.

The mark also launched Bailey to the number-one slot on the NCAA Division One list, clearing Texas Tech's Bryce Lamb, the previous collegiate leader with 8.05.

Another Jamaican, former St Andrew High School hurdler/jumper Todea-Kay Willis, hit top form for the University of Minnesota at the Big 10 Conference Meet in Bloomington, Indiana, also on Saturday.

Personal best

Willis, who was injured earlier this season and is now concentrating on the long jump, leapt a personal-best 6.33m to take gold ahead of Leah Eber of Purdue, who ended second with a 6.16m jump.

At another meet, theBig 12 Conference event in Columbia, Missouri, former Calabar jumper Nicholas Gordon placed second.

Gordon, the 2009 indoor champion for the University of Nebraska, leapt 7.81m, as the University of Texas Marquise Goodwin won with 7.94 m.

At the SEC Meet, former St Jago High jumper Melissa Ogbourne, competing for the Louisiana State University, just missed out on a top-three finish in the long jump, clearing 6.20m for fourth place. The University of Florida's Shara Proctor won with a 6.69m jump.

The meets, which were scheduled to end last night, had several Jamaicans advancing to the finals of track events with good times.