Karene King, left and Chantel Malone while competing for Portland State and Texas respectively during the 2011 indoor season: Photo: Ronnye Harrison
APRIL 22—Sprinter Karene King opened some eyes in her quest for an Olympic Games berth, while quarter miler-jumper Chantel Malone has come within .25 of getting to London for the Olympic Games.
Competing on Friday afternoon at the Mt. SAC Relays in Walnut, California, King—running on the outside corridor from Lane 9—powered out the blocks in the first heat of the 200m, led every step of the way, to win in 23.27 seconds—the fastest time of all the heats. While the mark was under the Olympic Games B qualifying standard of 23.30, the wind was .1 over the allowable 2.0, robbing her of the qualifier.
Last week, King ran a personal best of 23.72 at the Hurricanes Alumni Invitational in Miami. Earlier in the meet, she ran a 100m personal best of 11.52 seconds, shaving .08 off the 11.60 she ran in Palo Alto, during the Stanford Invitational on April 6.
On Saturday in Austin, Texas, Malone won the Texas Invitational in 52.60 seconds, just off her 52.35 best which is also the Olympic Games’ B qualifying standard and the second fastest of her career. Her time lowers her season’s best from last week’s 53.11. She followed up by lowering her 200m personal best from 23.61 to 23.53 while placing second.
Athletes have until July 8 to meet the qualifying standard.
Tahesia Harrigan-Scott—coming off a thigh injury—opened her 100m campaign at the Kansas Relay in Lawrence, Kansas, with a time of 11.83 in seventh place.
Portland State University Vikings’ Sr. Dominique Maloney, had a season’s best of 25.00 seconds in the 200m at the Oregon Relays. She was fourth in her heat and 10th overall. After running 56.55, she was fourth overall in the 400m on Saturday.
Britney Wattley sprinted to fourth and seventh place finish at the Morgan State Legacy Meet on her home turf. In the 100m finals, the Bears Jr. ran a windy (+2.9) 11.70 to place fourth after running 12.00 in the prelims. She returned a time of 24.22 in her 200m heat—with a +2.4 tailwind—the fastest she has gone since winning the Elmore Stoutt High School VIctrix Ludorm in 2008 with 24.55. She was fifth in the heat and seventh overall.
Wattley led off the victorious 4x100m Relay, which ran 45.43 and completed her busy day with a third leg carry on the fourth placed 4x400m Relay that was timed in 3 minutes, 45.01.
At the John McDonnell Invitational in Arkansas, Ashley Kelly was fifth in the 400m in 54.00 seconds, after helping the Fighting Illini 4x100m relay team to a second place finish in 44.29 seconds, after running the second leg.