DAEGU, South Korea – Tiger junior Riker Hylton captured the second bronze medal for the LSU track and field program during this year’s IAAF World Championships in Athletics while running the third leg of Jamaica’s 4×400-meter relay that cross the finish line in third place in Friday’s final at Daegu Stadium.
After Allodin Fothergill ran leadoff for the Jamaican foursome, Hylton took the baton from World Championships finalist Jermaine Gonzales on the third leg and kept his team in the lead while handing off to Leford Green on the anchor leg. Green anchored the Jamaicans for a bronze-medal winning third-place finish while clocking 3 minutes, 0.10 seconds in Friday’s championship final.
Green was unable to hold the lead for Jamaica on the homestretch as World 400-meter dash gold medalist LaShawn Merritt anchored the United States to a gold medal in 2:59.31. South Africa captured silver with a time of 2:59.87 with World 400-meter hurdles bronze medalist L.J. van Zyl running the anchor leg.
Hylton becomes the second LSU athlete to take home a bronze medal from the World Championship after Lady Tiger alum Kelly-Ann Baptiste won the bronze medal in the women’s 100-meter dash on Monday.
A native of Linstead, Jamaica, Hylton wraps up a brilliant 2011 season with his first career appearance for Jamaica at the World Championships. After running on LSU’s 4×400-meter relay team that wrapped up the collegiate season as the NCAA Outdoor runner-up, Hylton captured the Jamaican 400-meter dash title at the Jamaican National Senior Championships in June with a personal record of 45.30 seconds.
Hylton is sure to be a national championship contender for the Tigers during his senior season in 2012, as he is the No. 4-ranked 400-meter runner returning to the NCAA next season.
While competing in his sixth-straight World Championships for the United States, former Tiger champion Walter Davis finished in 22nd place in men’s triple jump qualifying held on Friday morning as he posted a series-best of 52 feet, 10 ¾ inches on his third and final jump of the day. A six-time NCAA champion in a brilliant career with the Tigers from 2001-02, Davis is a former World champion in the triple jump during his professional career after winning a gold medal in 2005 and bronze medal in 2007.
LSU senior Gabriel Mvumvure also saw action during Friday’s action at Daegu Stadium while running in the qualifying heats of the men’s 200-meter dash. The Zimbabwe native finished in sixth place in his heat and 28th place overall after running 21.11 (-0.8) in the fifth of seven qualifying races.