Saint Lucia’s national junior record holder for the women’s 100m, Naomi London, has a new personal-best mark in that event.
The fastest Under-20 athlete ever from Saint Lucia, London ran a scintillating 11.09 seconds to win at the Texas State Twilight meet in San Marcos, Texas. She also ran a career-best in the 200m.
London’s 100m time won’t be a new national record, as the wind was 2.2 metres per second, two hundredth of a metre per second above the legal limit for record purposes. The 18-year-old has only run once before this season, dropping a national Under-20 record of 11.23 seconds. The time of 11.09 seconds makes her the 33rd fastest teenager ever under all conditions, and eighth fastest from the Caribbean.
Though her impressive outing won’t count in the record books, it’s indicative of her potential under the tutelage of coach Edrick Floreal. There is a track and field adage that wind-aided times will eventually be replicated legally. Saint Lucia’s Julien Alfred won the 100m at the 2024 Olympics in 10.72 seconds, after running that same time wind-aided twice in 2023.
In the 200m on Saturday, London won in 23.01 seconds. The wind reading was 2.6 m/s. It’s her first 200m run since August 2023, when she ran 23.71 seconds. She is the second fastest Lucian ever in the half-lap event. Only Alfred is faster, with her national junior record of 22.90 seconds.
Also at the weekend, Mya Hippolyte ran personal-best times of 11.74 and 11.71 in the 100m. Alfred, London, double CARIFTA champion Jady Emmanuel, Hippolyte, and World Indoors 60m hurdles semifinalist Aasia Laurencin are all sub-12 runners, the first time five Saint Lucian women are under that milestone.
