Simbine, Ahoure win 100 titles at Boston Games track meet

NEW YORK: South Africa’s Akani Simbine and reigning world 60m indoor champion Murielle Ahoure of Ivory Coast won the 100 metres titles at Sunday’s Boston Games athletics meet.

The unique event’s feature races were contested on a portable 200m straightaway strip installed at the finishing area for the Boston Marathon.

Simbine, the reigning Commonwealth Games 100m champion, won his specialty in 9.92 seconds, .11 ahead of American Kendal Williams.

“A 9.92, that’s good on this track,” said Simbine, whose effort came following aternoon showers dampened the track.

Ahoure won the women’s 100 in 11.09 with American Aleia Hobbs .02 back.

“I feel really rusty,” Ahoure said. “I was so nervous.”

World 2017 100m champion Tori Bowie, who tore a quadriceps muscle last year, was third in 11.22.

“Coming back from tearing my quad, Im off to an amazing start,” Bowie said.

Reigning Olympic women’s 400 champion Shaunae Miller-uibo of Bahamas won the 150 meters in 16.37, her third Boston title in a row at the unusual distance, with Trinidad and Tobago’s Michelle-lee Ahye second in 16.60.

“It’s always fun to come to Boston. I’m three for three,” Miller-uibo said. “I just hope to continue to improve this year. Things are falling into place slowly but surely.”

American Noah Lyles was given a dubious bailout on a disqualification and took advantage to win the men’s 150 in 14.69, beating Britain’s Nethaneel Mitchell-blake by 0.41 of a second.

What appeared even in slow-motion replay to be an obvious false start was instead ruled to be inconclusive evidence, allowing Lyles to race.

“What did the guy at the start say? Green card. Then it was a green card,” Lyles said. “No time goal. We wanted to get this right for the 100 and 200. get a good start like the 100 and finish strong like the 200.”