Sprint hurdler Ruebin Walters produced the fourth fastest clocking of his career at the American Track League #1 indoor meet in Arkansas, USA, on Sunday.

The Trinidad and Tobago athlete got to the line in 7.65 seconds to secure third spot in the men’s 60 metres hurdles final.

Grant Holloway sizzled in the championship race, stopping the clock at 7.35 seconds to equal his own American record. Another American, Michael Dickson was second in 7.54. In the qualifying round, Walters won heat one in 7.74, while Holloway dominated heat two with a 7.38 run.

The Track League meet was the first competitive outing for Walters since the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru. He would have been very pleased to open his 2021 campaign just four-hundredths of a second outside his 7.61 seconds personal best, after the Covid-19 pandemic had forced him to miss the entire 2020 season.

Sunday’s 7.65 run earned Walters eighth spot on the 2021 world indoor performance list. Holloway is the global leader with his 7.35 scorcher. Dickson and Frenchman Pascal Martinot-Lagarde are joint-second at 7.54. Holloway is third on the all-time list, behind Great Britain’s world record holder Colin Jackson (7.30) and Cuban Dayron Robles (7.33).

Sparkle McKnight also opened her 2021 campaign at the American Track League #1 meet. The T&T athlete got home in 55.13 seconds for fifth spot in the women’s 400m. American Quanera Hayes won in a world-leading 51.76.

At the Wooo Pig Classic, also in Arkansas, Dwight St Hillaire finished second in his section and third overall in the men’s 400m. The University of Kentucky senior clocked 46.78 seconds.

In Colorado, Tamia Badal finished sixth in the Air Force Invitational women’s 60m hurdles final in 8.77 seconds. The University of Colorado student clocked 8.75 in her first round heat and 8.69 in the semis.

At the Larry Wieczorek Invitational, in Iowa, University of Minnesota freshman Jaydon Antoine was 10th overall in the men’s 60m dash in 7.02 seconds. University of Iowa sophomore Ianna Roach finished 15th in the women’s weight throw with a 16.62m effort.