PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad -- The Olympic dream has come true for LSU seniors Kelly Baptiste and Richard Thompson as the duo earned the right to compete in the 100-meter dash for Trinidad and Tobago following their performance Saturday at the Sagicor National Open Championships.
They become the first LSU track and field athletes to punch their ticket to Beijing, China, as track and field events at the Olympic Games are scheduled to run Aug. 15-24.
After qualifying for Saturday’s final with the fastest time of the semifinal round at 11.21 seconds, Baptiste was crowned her country’s national champion after racing to the finish line with a windy effort of 11.01 in the final, an impressive .29 seconds better than her nearest competitor. Monique Cabral took seventh place in the 100-meter final with a time of 11.49.
It marks the third time in her illustrious career that Baptiste has won the women’s 100-meter title at the Sagicor National Open Track and Field Championships at Hasely Crawford Stadium as she also won a gold medal in the event in 2005 and 2006.
Despite qualifying for the Olympic Games with a runner-up finish in the men’s final on Saturday, Thompson’s race ended in controversy after fellow countryman Darrel Brown collided with the LSU star approximately 60 meters into the contest.
Thompson fired out of the blocks in Lane 3 and appeared ready to take control of the race when Brown, running out of Lane 4, drifted to his left and collided with Thompson before falling to the track and tumbling across two lanes. Thompson regained his balance and crossed the finish line in 10.10 to finish runner-up in the event for the second straight season.
Marc Burns took advantage of the opportunity caused by Brown’s collision and won the gold in 10.01, while Brown was out of the race and unable to defend his title.
Both Baptiste and Thompson have earned the right to wear the uniform of Trinidad and Tobago at the Olympic Games on the strength of Saturday’s finish and having already met the Olympic “A” qualifying standard in the 100-meter dash earlier in the season. Thompson’s seasonal best of 9.93 ranks No. 3 in the world in 2008, while Baptiste’s top time of 11.06 currently ranks No. 11.
LSU sophomore Jamaal James hopes to add his name to the Olympic roster for Trinidad and Tobago on Sunday as he is slated to line up in the final of the 800-meter run. James must finish in the top three and achieve the Olympic “A” qualifying standard of 1 minute, 46 seconds. He boasts a seasonal best time of 1:47.91 in the event this season.