The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Chief Sports Editor

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net    

Olympian Denisha Cartwright made her season debut a successful one at the Larry Wieczorek Invitational over the weekend.

In the women’s 60 metres hurdles premier final, Cartwright posted a lifetime best of 7.78 seconds to shatter the meet, track and facility records of 7.84.

The 25-year-old led from start to finish and was about a hurdle ahead of her nearest rival. 

The previous world-leading mark was 7.89 that was established by American Masai Russell at the Sports Performance Center in Lubbock, Texas, just ahead of Bahamian world indoor record holder Devynne Charlton, who did 7.93.

It was a great confidence booster for Cartwright, who had the fastest qualifying time of 7.88 in the preliminaries. She now holds the two fastest times so far this year. Last year, after completing her tenure at Minnesota State University with another stellar year, she went on to join Charlton and Charisma Taylor at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France. However, in her debut, Cartwright fell short as she didn’t advance out of the repechage round of the women’s 100m hurdles, while Taylor made it to the semifinals.

Charlton returned for her second appearance in the final, placing sixth as Russell, her training partner at the University of Kentucky under Bahamian Rolando “Lonnie” Greene, went on to capture the gold. Also over the weekend, men’s high hurdles specialist Antoine Andrews, a junior at Texas Tech, did some work on his speed, placing third in the final of the men’s 60 metres at the Red Raider invite at the Sports Performance Center in Lubbock, Texas.The winning time was 6.50 by Chrstyn John (JC) Stevenson, a junior at the University of South Carolina, followed by Jaylen Washington, a sophomore at North Texas in 6.56.

Andrews, 21, had the fourth fastest qualifying time in the preliminaries in 6.69. 

The week before at the Corky Classic in Lubbock, Texas, Andrews opened his season by making it to the final of the men’s 60m hurdles, but he didn’t contest the event.

He advanced with the fastest qualifying time of 7.52 after coming out of the preliminaries with the seventh fastest time of 7.84.