Machel Cedenio, Kyle Greaux and Ruebin Walters all struck gold at the Pure Summer Invitational in Florida, USA, late on Sunday.

Cedenio topped the men’s 400 metres field with a 45.37 seconds run. The Trinidad and Tobago quarter-miler got to the line ahead of 2008 Olympic champion LaShawn Merritt, the American clocking 45.45. Bahamian Alonzo Russell was a distant third in 46.23.

Greaux produced a 20.70 seconds run to win the men’s 200m. In a tight finish, the T&T sprinter just got the better of Jamaican Nickel Ashmeade, the runner-up in 20.71.

T&T’s Ruebin Walters had things all his own way in the men’s 110m hurdles. Walters stopped the clock at 13.53 seconds for a huge cushion on second-placed Jonathon Santiago Pagan, the Puerto Rican picking up silver in 14.16.

Kelly-Ann Baptiste finished sixth in the women’s 100m “A” final in 11.51 seconds. Khalifa St Fort was first in the “B” final and seventh overall in 11.58. Two other T&T sprinters, Semoy Hackett and Reyare Thomas were third and fourth, respectively, in the “B” final, clocking 11.68 and 11.69. Hackett was 10th fastest overall, while Thomas was 11th.

The Pure Summer Invitational was Richard “Torpedo” Thompson’s first meet this season. Thompson faced the starter in the men’s 100m “B” final, the T&T track star just missing out on victory in the race with a 10.38 seconds run. Ashmeade won in 10.37, with Thompson in second spot.

Another T&T sprint star, Keston Bledman won the “C” final in 10.40 seconds. Jerod Elcock was fifth in that race in 10.50. And Andre Marcano finished second in the “E” final in 11 seconds flat.

Thompson was seventh fastest overall with his 10.38 run, while Bledman was eighth at 10.40. Elcock and Marcano were 14th and 23rd, respectively.

In the qualifying round, Thompson finished fifth in heat one in 10.49 seconds to progress 14th fastest. The race was his first 100m outing since the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

A hip injury had put Thompson’s career on hold. After missing the 2017, 2018 and 2019 seasons, the 2008 Olympic 100m silver medallist ran in a couple indoor 60m races last year, but then deferred his comeback following postponement of the Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Another T&T athlete, Janeil Bellille was the only entrant in the Pure Summer Invitational women’s 400m hurdles. Bellille returned a time of one minute, 05.09 seconds.

Renny Quow was in winners’ row at the Atlanta Georgia Relays. The T&T quartermiler emerged victorious in the showcase invitational men’s 400m event, completing his lap of the track in 47.26 seconds.

Last Thursday, at the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Outdoor Championships, in Alabama, Che Lara finished fifth in heat two and 10th overall in the men’s 400m in 48.24 seconds. The top eight quartermilers qualified for the final.

On Friday, Lara was back on the track, anchoring Wayland Baptist University to gold in the 4x400m relay. Lara got the baton in front and increased the lead, his 46.53 seconds anchorleg run securing a comfortable victory for Wayland Baptist in 3:10.12.

Wayland Baptist finished 10th in the men’s team competition with 27 points. Doane University and Madonna University shared the men’s title with 44 points each, while top honours among the women went to Indiana Institute of Technology (84 points).