Trinidad and Tobago’s (T&T’s) sprinter Michelle-Lee Ahye pulled up at the end of her 200m race at the annual Spitzen meeting in Lucerne, Switzerland Tuesday (15), clutching her left hamstring and limping before collapsing to the track. She then had to be carried off.
Ahye had just snatched victory in 22.77 (-0.9mps) over a field that included double world junior champion Anthonique Strachan of the Bahamas in second, Jamaica’s two-time Olympic 200m champion Veronica Campbell-Brown and USA’s Tiffany Townsend. Her time equaled her personal best clocked her country’s National Championships last month into a -1.1m/s headwind.
As a result of the apparent leg injury, which was later described as cramps, she will not compete in the 100m at the 2014 Commonwealth Games this month but says she will run the 4x100m relay.
Ahye’s preparation for the Games had been on a winning path all season. Her most recent victory before her misfortune was earlier in the Lucerne meet Tuesday, when she copped her fourth consecutive 100m first with 11.09 into a -0.7mps headwind over USA’s Tianna Bartoletta.
Prior to Tuesday’s feat, Ahye, won the 100m at the Glasgow Grand Prix in 11.01 seconds three days before on Saturday, defeating big names such as Jamaica’s two-time Olympic 100m gold medalist Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (2nd 11.10) and American 2011 100m World champion Carmelita Jeter. Less than two weeks ago, she won the Diamond League 100m in Lausanne in 10.98, getting the edge over Murielle Ahoure of the Ivory Coast, who was credited with the same time.
In June, the 22-year-old CARIFTA and Pan American Junior champion ran a world leading 10.85secs at The T&T Trials. That world lead was eclipsed July 18 by USA Tori Bowie with a 10.80 run at the Monaco Diamond League from which Ahye was absent.
Ahye, however, remains undefeated for the year after ten 100m events.