Loose block can’t slow Kwaateng
Overcomes false start to win dash title
There’s no disputing the supreme natural talent that Lowell’s Richmond Kwaateng has displayed all season in the 55-meter dash. At yesterday’s New England Championships, the All-State champion proved he’s just as mentally tough.
Racing on the Reggie Lewis Center infield, Kwaateng false-started when his blocks slipped from behind him at the gun. Another competitor false-started when the field was back in the blocks a second time. Kwaateng never let the two aborted starts sway him though, as he was out clean on the third start and pulled away for the win in 6.34 seconds.
The false starts only made Kwaateng more focused than ever.
“The bad start really made me focus,” said Kwaateng. “The blocks fell out and then there was another false start. It’s definitely amazing winning. I didn’t think I could run this fast. I really feel like I’m in a zone.”
Two hours later, Kwaateng joined teammates Aaron Morris, Franco Recto and Jalen Dibbles to capture the 4x200 in a sizzling 1:30.60 and followed it up by breaking his own school record in the long jump with a leap of 23-7 1/2. “My mark was pretty good,” Kwaateng said. “I only did two jumps so I really had to focus.”
Like Kwaateng, North Reading’s William Lord also had problems with loose starting blocks. Lord, who said his legs felt sluggish during workouts leading up to the meet, still had a decent start and out-leaned Stoughton’s David Peters at the tape for a 7.37 victory. Lord was hardly surprised that Peters was nearly even with him across the line. “I thought it would come down to the two of us,” said the All-State champion. “The blocks slipped a little bit, but it was still a good start.”
All-State champion Lauren Sablone of Austin Prep worked on her starts all week and it paid off as she pulled away from the 55 field for a 7.14 win. It was a surreal finish for Sablone, who said she felt a chill up her back when the PA said she clinched the win at the tape. “I never dreamed of making it this far,” said Sablone. “It (finish) felt tight. When I dipped I thought I had it and when they said my name I got chills. I felt good coming in and did a lot of starts so I felt good coming out of the blocks.”
Sablone was equally as good getting out of the blocks in the 300 as she took down the field with her 39.55.
Nicole Anderson of Billerica continued her stranglehold on the 1,000 as she pulled away from Shepherd Hill’s Emma Sullivan over the final 300 for a comfortable 2:53.38 win with Sullivan second in 2:55.91.
Anderson, the All-State champion, said she wanted to “shake things up” and put the pressure on Sullivan and the tight pack with 300 to go. “I really wanted to put my stamp on the race,” said Anderson. “I wanted to play it by ear at the start. I tried to make a move with 300 left to build a little bit of a gap. I really wanted to separate from the group because we went through the 800 comparatively slow.”
All-State champion John McNeil of Medfield just missed clearing 6-10 in the high jump, but did clear 6-7 to capture another victory. Billerica’s Steve Harris sprinted to a 34.30 win in the 300. Isabela Shepard of Amherst pushed hard for a 1:35.49 win in the 600 and Lexington, with its lineup of Selvin and Josh Backert, Evan Eberle and Andrew McGovern, outdueled Newton North to win the 4x800 in 7:56.59. Newton North’s 4x400 team of Raghav Kadambi, Bruce Burba, David Bennett and Alexander Sherman burned its way to a 3:22.48 victory.