Barbara Nwaba
Azusa – Santa Barbara Track Club‘s (SBTC) Barbara Nwaba (USA) won the prestigious Mt. SAC Relays Heptathlon competition on Thursday with a score of 6,043 points, breaking the 6,000 point barrier for the first time in her career.
Nwaba edged out Angela Whyte‘s (CAN) 6018 point performance. Whyte, a two-time Olympian in the 100m Hurdles, is in her first season of competition in the combined events. For Nwaba, the mark currently ranks her number one in the U.S. and second in the world for 2014.
The win and personal best was filled with some high moments and also some low ones over the two day Heptathlon competition at Azusa Pacific University. Her 100m Hurdle race, which kicked off the competition, was one of her slowest in the last seven years and a full second off her best, crossing the line in 14.65 seconds. However, she capped off the day with a blazing 23.91 second 200m Dash; a personal best. After day one Nwaba found herself in second place, only four points behind Whyte.
On Day 2, in a reverse of fortunes not only from Day 1, but also from the Sam Adams Combined Events Invitational where she fouled out of the competition, Nwaba began the day with a 19 foot leap in the Long Jump; another personal best. Unfortunately, her next event, the Javelin, set her back yet again with a toss of 130’3?; over fifteen feet shy of her personal best.
Entering the 800m Run, the final event of the day, Nwaba was 145 points back of Whyte and would need to run 2:14.4, a mere .09 seconds off her best 800m time to break the 6000 point barrier. Determined, yet composed, Nwaba notched a three second personal best, winning the final event of the competition in 2:11.42, catapulting her to the Mt. SAC Relays title and across the coveted 6000 point milestone.
The mark qualifies Nwaba for the 2014 USA Track & Field Championships in Sacramento, CA from June 26-29.
