Jamaican trio sparkle in Morocco

Raymond Graham, Gleaner Writer

OLYMPIC and World 100 metres champion, Shelly-Ann Fraser, led a trio of Jamaican winners at yesterday Mohammed VI d' Athletisme de Rabat Track and Field Meeting in Morocco.

Kaliese Spencer and Jermaine Gonzales were the other winners.

Fraser, continuing her build-up towards the remainder of the Diamond League series, scored a close win in the women's 100 metres over The Bahamas' Chandra Sturrup.

Fraser clocked a meet-record 11.13 seconds, while Sturrup took the runner-up spot in 11.14 seconds.

Spencer, a fourth-place finisher in the women's 400 metres hurdles at the Berlin World Championships last year, produced a season best, which was also a meet record, 54.89 seconds, to win the event.

She easily defeated Great Britain's Perri Sholes Drayton, who placed second in 56.03.

Spencer's time improved on her previous best this season, 55.59, which was done at the Shanghai Diamond League meeting last month.

Gonzales' best run

Commonwealth 400 metres bronze medallist Gonzales produced his best run for a long while, as he continues to show good form by clocking 45.06, his best this season, to win the men's 400 metres in fine style.

Gonzales, who has been plagued by injury in his career but who has shown glimpses of his old form this season, defeated World Indoor champion Chris Brown of The Bahamas, who took second in 45.32. Great Britain's Martin Rooney was third in 45.45 seconds.

Gonzales' time makes him the country's number-one man in the one-lap event for 2010, as he eclipsed the 45.12 done by Dwight Mullings at the East Regional NCAA Division Meet two weeks ago in Greensboro, North Carolina.

At the same meet, Jamaica's World Championship 4x100 metres gold medal winner, Steve Mullings, clocked 20.75 to place second in the men's 200 metres.

The United States' Wallace Spearmon won in 20.35.

Two other Jamaicans failed to finish among the top three at the meet. Schillone Calvert (11.48) was fourth in the women's 100, while former World Championships gold medallist in the triple jump, Trecia Kay Smith, could only manage seventh in her pet event with a leading mark of 13.57 metres.