It was a busy Easter weekend for the senior from Saint Anthony's. Halle Hazzard was in Curacao, representing the island nation of Grenada, at the 46th Annual CARIFTA Games. Entered in two events, Hazzard made the most of her time abroad.
100m
Watch the full race on FloTrack
On Friday evening, Hazzard tackled the elements on the small island nation of Curacao. With a 1mps headwind slowing her down, Hazzard ran a wind-legal personal best, hitting 11.78 to take third in her heat. With only the top two in each heat guaranteed, Hazzard would have to wait on the official results to see if she would make the final. As they announced the lineup, Hazzard learned she was seeded 5th in the 8 women final.
On the line for the U20 100m Final, Hazzard had nothing to lose. She bolted from the gun with one of the best starts on the line. Closing well on the leaders, Hazzard came through in third overall. She ran 11.67 for the Bronze Medal, a All-Conditions best, impressive considering the significant 1.9mps headwind.
It was the first medal of any kind for the small country of Grenada. It was a NY #5 All-Time performance as well. With plenty of time left in the season, it bodes well for the Sprinters future. But even then, the weekend wasn't over.
200m
Coming back the next day, Hazzard was on fire. In the 200m prelims, she let out a strong 24.32 qualifying performance. Most notably, her performance was superior to that of the odds-on favorite, Florida prep Khalifa St. Fort. It would set up a strong final, Hazzard already with the State Leader.
On the final day of the event, the final was set. Around the turn they went, and Hazzard came back with another great close. She gave leader St. Fort strong competition, and would cross the line second. Not only did it improve upon Grenada's highest finish ever in any final, it now made Hazzard a double medalist. Her time of 24.14 is short of her personal best of 23.92, but showed she could handle the rigors of a three day competition.
We look forward to seeing her race back on another island this weekend. Hazzard will take on the 100m and 200m at Randall's Island in the NY Relays, broadcast live on MileSplit.
