Gold Strike: Kineke Celebrates Ahead of Commonwealth Games

Middle distance athlete Kineke Alexander got the best send off ahead of her Commonwealth Games outing in Australia.

Alexander on assignment with Iowa University in the USA won the 400M event at NCAA Indoor Championships last week at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. {{more}}

She clocked 52.16 seconds to take the top spot. Alexander wrote her name in the university’s history pages, becoming the first sprinter from that institution to take a national title.

The former St. Joseph’s Marriaqua student had earlier in the meet returned 52.31 seconds to record the fourth fastest time going into the final.

Her time of 52.01 seconds at the 2006 Big Ten set a new school record. Currently she enjoys a high rating on the US Collegiate circuit both indoors and outdoors.

Alexander, from Glenside, Mesopotamia, who celebrated her 20th birthday February 21, is in her first major world event as a senior. She was part of the 2004 Summer Olympics in Greece, but as a guest member of the youth programme. Her participation at world events was restricted to the World Youth Games in 2001 and 2003.However she competed with success at the Junior Carifta and Junior CAC Meets. Alexander captured silver and bronze medals at the Under-20 level at Carifta in her pet event. She struck gold at Junior CAC in Mexico in 2004.

Last year, Alexander during her first year at Iowa broke this country’s national 400 Metres record on the first day of the Mt. SAC relays held at the Hilmer Lodge Stadium- Walnut California, April 15.

She finished the one lap event in 52.73., then in June recorded a personal best of 51.71 seconds in the 400 M, and eclipsed the national record.

Alexander was one of five overseas-based athletes who heeded the national calling for the prestigious Commonwealth Games.

The others are netballers Gailene Gordon and Nicole Sandy, and Squash player Collin Alexander. While the others are basically home grown, specialist field athlete Adonson Shallow received a six week high level training in Cuba prior to his departure down under.

The main part of this country’s contingent left here last Saturday for Melbourne.

St. Vincent and the Grenadines will participate in five disciplines-Athletics, Cycling, Netball, Squash and Table Tennis.

Athletics runs March 19-25, Cycling-March 21, Netball -March 17-26, Squash-March 16-26, and Table Tennis-March 16-25.

This is the largest number of athletes (22) to represent St. Vincent and the Grenadines at the Commonwealth Games. Netball, which takes the largest slice of the contingent, participates in the event for the first time. The Vincentian outfit begins its sojourn against top ranked team New Zealand today, Friday local time. SVG, ranked thirteenth, also faces number four team, England and number five South Africa.

Apart from the athletes, ten officials have headed out on the trip.

This is the seventh occasion that St. Vincent and the Grenadines is participating at the Commonwealth Games. The first was in 1958 in Cardiff, Wales when athletes Elton Anderson and Godfrey Roberts were the debutantes. This country was present at the 1966 Games in Jamaica. After a long lay off, participation returned in 1978 in Edmonton, Canada. Another lapse was broken in 1994 in Victoria, Canada; SVG’s presence was at the Kula Lumpur edition, Malaysia in 1998 and Manchester, England in 2002.