Tiffany Porter dealt a blow to defending 100m hurdles Commonwealth champion Sally Pearson ahead of Glasgow 2014 with victory at the Sainsbury’s Anniversary Games – and she insists there’s more to come.
Porter and Pearson took bronze and silver respectively behind American Brianna Rollins at the World Championships last year and are expected to face off in a battle for gold at the Commonwealth Games.
And it was Porter who laid down a marker as Horse Guards Parade in London was transformed into an athletics arena to celebrate two years having passed since the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
She pulled away from the field over the final four hurdles and crossed the line in 12.71 seconds while reigning Olympic and Commonwealth champion Pearson had to make do with third in 12.79.
World champion Rollins split the two in second in 12.75 while Lavonne Idlette finished fourth in 13 dead and Porter is now buzzing ahead of her outing at a transformed Hampden Park for Glasgow 2014.
“It was massive. The crowd was amazing and the track is fast and the field was amazing so you really couldn’t ask for anything more than that,” said Porter.
“It was a bit of a sloppy race looking back at the replay, I can tighten some things up heading to the Commonwealth Games so I’m pretty excited to go there and give it my best shot.”
Meanwhile the men’s 110m hurdles A race also provided plenty of drama with Brit William Sharman deemed to have finished third in a three-way photo finish with world silver medalist Ryan Wilson and Barbadian Shane Brathwaite.
All three clocked 13.24 with Wilson given the win and Sharman admitted it was an honour to help celebrate two years since London 2012 at a specially-built stadium on Horse Guards Parade.
“It was amazing. I feel really privileged as well as it’s only the third ever sporting event to take place at Horse Guards Parade,” he said.
“It started in the eighteenth century with jousting and at London 2012 there was women’s volleyball and now it’s athletics. I don’t think there will be many more sporting events here if any, so it’s a real privilege.”
Commonwealth champion Andy Turner won the men’s 110m hurdles B race, Margaret Adeoye the women’s 100m B race and Chris Tomlinson the long jump ahead of fellow Brit JJ Jegede.
Luke Cutts pushed French world record holder and Olympic champion Renaud Lavillenie but settled for second in the pole vault while Harry Aikines-Aryeetey won the men’s 100m B race with Chijindu Ujah fourth in the main event.
© Sportsbeat 2014