BATON ROUGE – With her performance Saturday at the National Training Center Stars Invitational in Clermont, Fla., Lady Tiger great and rising international star Kelly Baptiste became the new world leader in the 100-meter dash as she captured the event title with a new personal best of 10.84 seconds.
After winning her prelim heat during Saturday’s competition at the National Training Center with a wind-aided time of 10.94, Baptiste became the world’s fastest woman for the 2010 season with a winning effort of 10.84 (+1.8) in the final to take the title over Sholanda Solomon (10.90).
Baptiste shattered her previous personal best and Trinidad & Tobago national record of 10.94 that she set in winning the 100-meter championship at the 2009 Sagicor National Open Championships in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, on June 20 of last season.
Baptiste catapulted herself to the top of the world rankings for the 2010 season as she eclipsed the leading time of 10.94 held by American sprint star Carmelita Jeter entering Saturday’s competition. She continues her climb as one of the world’s elite sprinters after representing Trinidad & Tobago in the 100 meters and 200 meters at the Olympic Games in 2008 and IAAF World Championships in 2009.
Baptiste capped her collegiate career at LSU in 2008 by winning the NCAA 100-meter title while leading the Lady Tigers to a national championship with a victory at the 2008 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships at Drake Stadium in Des Moines, Iowa.
The LSU women will look to win their second national title in three seasons and their 26th team crown all-time this week as the 2010 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships will be held June 9-12.