For the second time this year, Aasia Laurencin has rewritten the Saint Lucia national record – and this time, she did it three times in a row. Over consecutive weekends, the 22-year-old hurdler lowered the all-time mark in the women’s 100m hurdles, yet she remains determined to push even further.
Competing in her Motor City Track Club kit by New Balance and representing Saint Lucia, Laurencin clocked 13.02 seconds on Saturday at the 115th Drake Relays presented by Xtream. Finishing fourth in the World Athletics Continental Tour race at Drake Stadium in Des Moines, Iowa, she faced a stacked field. The event was won by 2024 Paris Olympic champion Masai Russell of the USA (12.74 sec), despite a headwind of -1.4 m/s.
“I ran 13.02, which is faster than last weekend,” Laurencin said after a strong performance from Lane 1. “Moving in the right direction. The field was nice; I just wish I was toward the middle where everybody was.”
Behind Russell (Nike) came Denisha Cartwright of The Bahamas (PUMA) in 12.93, followed by USA’s Rayniah Jones in 13.00, just edging Laurencin.
This is the calibre of competition Laurencin is targeting, and she has proven she belongs. Since 2022, the University of Michigan graduate has dipped under 13 seconds 14 times, including a personal best of 12.72. However, that mark was set before her official citizenship registration.
Her recent performances – 13.13 and 13.08 at the Tom Jones Memorial over Easter weekend, followed by 13.02 at Drake – each surpassed the previous national record of 13.52 (+1.0 m/s wind), set by Makeba Alcide at the 2013 NCAA Division I Championships. Laurencin also broke Alcide’s indoor 60m hurdles record (7.97) earlier this season, securing her first World Indoor Championships semifinal berth for Saint Lucia.
Now, Laurencin has her sights set on becoming Saint Lucia’s first hurdler at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo later this year. She could also be a vital part of a potential 4x100m relay team, joining forces with Olympic champion Julien Alfred, junior record holder Naomi London, CARIFTA double champion Jady Emmanuel, and US-based Mya Hippolyte.
