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Last Update: Sunday, March 18, 2007 |
When Keith Hughes of Hartford Public crossed the finish line in the 200-meter event, there was a little disappointment on his face. He had won the race, but was disappointed Glenn McFadden didn't run against him.
McFadden, of Hillhouse-New Haven, had beaten Hughes earlier in the 100-meters at the Trinity Invitational Saturday at Trinity College.
But Hughes wasn't simply looking to avenge the loss in the 100. This is Hughes' first year in outdoor track and the senior is coming off a successful indoor season. He is still learning and knows to be the best he has to race against the best. Even if it means losing. McFadden is one of the top sprinters in the nation and an inspiration for Hughes.
"I was hoping McFadden was running against me, because he gives me something to train for," Hughes said after the 200. "I practice every day for him."
Hughes won the 200 in 22.90 seconds. He finished second to McFadden in the 100 in 11.13 seconds. McFadden finished in 10.75 seconds.
Hughes played football for Hartford Public, but didn't go out for track until this winter. He quickly made an impact, winning the 55-meter dash in the CIAC Class L indoor championship meet at Yale. The following week he finished second in the Open behind McFadden and then took third in the New England championship meet.
Pretty good for a first-year runner. His goal is to win the 100 in the state class and Open meets, but knows it's going to be a tough task. Still, he has plenty of motivation, he said.
"I still I have a lot of training to do," Hughes said. "A lot of training."
Busy day for McFadden: Not only did McFadden win the 100, he was also part of Hillhouse's winning 4x400 relay and finished second in the long jump, with a jump of 22 feet, 4 inches. Josh Fournier of Bacon Academy-Colchester won the long jump with 24-1.
Reid wins shot put and discus: Andre Reid of South Windsor won the shot put with a throw of 60-9. He later won the discus with a throw of 163-5, but the victory was a little bittersweet, he said.
His chief competition, Kader Drame of Wilbur Cross-New Haven, was hampered by a finger injury and finished second (158-11).
"He had a bad day because of his injured finger," Reid said. "I don't like that kind of victory."
Reid said Drame and Jeff Van Gilder of Fermi-Enfield should be two of his tougher opponents in the state meets this season. Van Gilder finished third in discus (152-9) Saturday.
Reid also took second in the javelin (162-6) on Friday.
Owen wins tough double: Meghan Owen of Killingly dominated the cross country scene last fall, but didn't compete indoors. Instead, she played basketball.
It was a nice break from running, but it put her behind some of the other top runners in the state, she said.
Well, you couldn't tell Saturday.
Owen won the 1,600 in 5:06, then fought a very tough challenge by Jayne Penn of Hillhouse in the 800, winning in 2:22.52.
The 800 race was one of the more exciting races of the day. Owen took the lead after the first lap, but Penn caught her on the final turn. Penn briefly took a small lead, but Owen out-kicked her at the finish.
"I was just going to push it as hard as I could," Owen said, "and use whatever I had left."
Bloom wins steeplechase, 3,200: Talk about being tough on your legs. Alex Bloom of Guilford had never run the 3,000 steeplechase before and decided to try it. He won, finishing in 10:09.14, but it certainly was a new experience.
So what was it like running that distance and frequently hurdling a water hazard?
"It's tough," Bloom said. "It's a whole different kind of pain."
Bloom had enough left to come back later in the day and win the 3,200 (9:43.71).
Double winners: Monique Bynoe of Bloomfield won the 100 (12.90) and 200 (25.95), Becky Tucker of E.O. Smith-Storrs won both the shot put (36-6) and discus (108-2) and New Britain's Eric Pierce won the triple jump (47-5) and high jump (6-2).
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