Challenging weather observes impressive performances from Travis Padgett and Joel Brown
While running in Liege, Belgium, the field for the run was faced by a cold and drenched weather making it difficult for the runners to keep their muscles warm enough to pour out their true potential for the competition. However, even under such unfavourable
conditions, athletes like Travis Padgett, Joel Brown and Nia Ali blasted through their respective distances impressively.
For marking their successful foot prints on the track at Liege, Padgett cruised his 100m distance in 10.13 seconds, while his countryman, Joel Brown observed a 13.29 seconds effort in the 110m hurdling competition. Another worth mentioning performance was
observed by young female hurdler, Nia Ali, who, for clearing a 100m hurdling track took 12.84 seconds.
Padgett, the 24-year-old runner is a sprinter who hails from USA. While pursuing with his academic career at Clemson University, he has had the privilege of claiming the All American and national championships titles in sprinting.
In 2008, he made a new NCAA collegiate record at the US Olympic Trials, where he clocked 9.89 seconds. The results produced by the young athlete at NCAA were formidable enough to place him among the top-20 finishers of the 100m run globally, and also among
the top-ten American athletes.
In the same year, while appearing at the Olympic Trials amid favourable wind, he clocked 9.85 seconds. The time clocked at the trial was good, but not enough to earn him a place at the Olympics. However, realising his potential, he was given a place at the
2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, where he contested in the 4x100 m relay.
Emerging at Liege has not only returned him his earlier glory, but has also added up to his confidence to retain his present form and fitness. Perhaps, this was the reason that at the end of the race, commenting upon his success, Padgett said, “I’m happy
with my race today. With the guys next to me in the blocks I knew I was going to get in trouble. Darvis (the runner up of the race) is always very fast off the blocks and I had to work hard to catch up. I’m confident now and in the next weeks I want to prove
that I’m a consistent sub-10 sprinter.”
Brown, the 31-year-old experienced hurdler from America, who had been the sixth finisher at the 2005 World Championships and who boasts of a personal best of 13.22 seconds, was quite slow in the start of the run. Realising the need of the hour and responding
to the call of duty, he gradually built up with his pace and managed to mark a finish of 13.29 seconds. His competitor, Tyron Akins finished in 13.50 seconds. Upon bagging the victory, Brown was quite content with his display in Belgium.
Commenting upon his success and how he was going to use it for his revival on the European circuit, he said, “I couldn’t make it to the world championships team for the USA, so I’m on the European circuit to run as fast races as I can. The more you race,
the better you become. This was a pretty good one for me in these chilly conditions. It is my aim to run 13.1 this year.”
As the run concluded, Ryan Brathwaite, the world champion of 2009, who was also a pre-favourite for the contest, could not help but finish for a fifth place.
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