July 10, 2009
Three Aggies were in action on the international stage Friday in Europe. Two A&M athletes - Yasmine Regis and Tyrone Edgar - were competing in the United Kingdom Athletes World Trials being held in Birmingham, England. Meanwhile, Fabrice Lapiere continued his Grand Prix season in Rome, Italy.
Regis placed second in the women's triple jump final at the British World Trials, producing a wind-aided best of 44-0.75 (13.43) behind the winning mark of 44-10.25 (13.67) by Nadia Williams. Regis is still seeking the qualifying marks to compete in the World Championships that will be held in Berlin, Germany, this August. She needs to reach the B standard of 45-11.25 (14.00) or the A standard of 46-7.25 (14.20).
In the opening round of the 100 meters, Tyrone Edgar won his heat in 10.27 seconds to advance to the next round. Edgar produced the third fastest time of the opening round, trailing a 10.20 from Dwain Chambers and a 10.24 by Simeon Williamson. The semifinals of the 100 meters will be held on Saturday afternoon with the finals set for Saturday evening.
Facing the past two Olympic long jump champions in Rome during the Golden Gala meet, Lapierre placed third with a leap of 26-11.75 (8.22). Phillips, the Athens Olympic champion, won the event with a first round mark of 28-3 (8.61) while Irving Saladino of Panama, the Beijing Olympic champion, claimed second place with a 27-1.75 (8.27).
Earlier in the week Lapierre also finished third in Lausanne, Switzerland with a mark of 26-3 (8.00). He is currently tied for second with Phillips in Grand Prix points for 2009 at 60, with South African Godfrey Mokoena leading the event with 62 points.
Also competing in Rome was Texas A&M volunteer assistant Aries Merritt, who placed fourth in the 110 hurdles with a time of 13.42. Earlier in the week he clocked 13.52 for third in the Lausanne meeting.