Ashley shatters national 10,000 metre record
Ashley Estwanik has claimed her third national track and field record after a running 10,000 metres at the National Sports Centre running track in 38 minutes 18 seconds.The three-person race on Saturday was a time trial for this summer’s NatWest Island Games. Estwanik easily beat the qualifying standard of 42.25 and in the process took more than a minute off Jennifer Fisher’s 1995 national mark of 39.26.Estwanik already holds the women’s national records for 1,500m and 5,000m.Also competing in the weekend race was Estwanik’s husband Chris, who beat the Games qualifying standard for men (34.50) when he stopped the clock at 31.39. The third runner was Rose-Anna Hoey, who also beat the women’s qualifying standard as she came home in 38.52. The trio of top distance runners all met the 5,000m qualifying standard at the track last Wednesday.The 25-lap race was one of a number of track and field events at the stadium during a Bermuda National Atheltics Association meeting.A number of other athletes also met the qualifying standards for the Island Games, which are being held in Bermuda from July 15 to 19. Sprinter Tre Houston won the open 200m race in 22.10, inside the qualifying mark of 22.29. In the under-17 boys’ 400m, Antonio Bailey’s winning time of 50.26 was inside the qualifying standard (50.54), while 800m runner Shaquille Dill won his event in 1.51, beating the qualifying mark of 2.00.In the under-20 men’s long jump Bruce Degrilla reached 6.76m, ahead of the qualifying mark of 6.50m, and in the under-20 men’s high jump Chase Smith equalled the qualifying mark with a leap of 1.90m.Two national records belonging to Jennifer Fisher appear to have fallen in the space of a week, for not only did Ashley Estwanik better her 10,000m time, Fisher’s 400m hurdles record of 63.55 seconds, set in Buffalo, New York in 1995, looks to have been broken by Shianne Smith who ran 63.03 in France. Smith’s overseas performance is awaiting verification.