TOLUCA, Mexico — While preparing to represent her native Jamaica at next month’s Olympic Games, LSU track star Nickiesha Wilson enjoyed a pair of record-setting performances Sunday in winning two gold medals at the 2008 NACAC Under-23 Track and Field Championships.
Despite running at an altitude of 8,793 feet at the Alberto Cordova Stadium, Wilson won a pair of gold medals for Jamaica in the 400-meter hurdles and 4×400-meter relay in meet record fashion.
The Kingston native had not lined up in the 400 hurdles since being crowned NCAA champion in the event at the NCAA Outdoor Championships on June 13, but took her mark alongside UCLA All-American Nicole Leach on Sunday in a rematch of this year’s final at the NCAA meet.
And the result was the same with Wilson winning gold in record time after crossing the finish line in 55.78 seconds and Leach taking silver in 57.05. Wilson also beat Leach to the finish line in the final round at the NCAA Championships in Des Moines, Iowa, where she set her seasonal best of 54.45 at Drake Stadium to become LSU’s third NCAA champion in the event.
Wilson also anchored Jamaica’s 4×400-meter relay team to a gold medal on Sunday afternoon as she teamed with Christine Day, Bobbi-Gaye Wilkins and Anastasia Leroy to set a meet record time of 3 minutes, 27.46 seconds in the final.
Jamaica’s relay team finished nearly one second ahead of the United States team of Brandi Cross, Kenyatta Coleman, Danielle Brown and Leach that won silver in 3:28.25.
But Wilson was not the only LSU standout to win multiple medals for Jamaica as rising junior Samantha Henry took home the bronze medal in the 100-meter dash before running leadoff on the silver-medal winning 4×100-meter relay team. Henry clocked a time of 11.39 to finish third in the 100-meter final before leading Jamaica’s sprint relay to a runner-up finish in 43.73.
The NACAC Under-23 Track and Field Championships is bi-annual meet sponsored by the North America, Central American and Caribbean Athletics Association and features the premier athletes in the region 23 years of age or under.