Stowers Runs World-Leading Mark at Drake Relays

Published by LSUSports on April 27, 2015

Former Lady Tiger All-American Jasmin Stowers burst onto the international stage on a chilly Saturday afternoon in Des Moines, Iowa, when she hurdled to a world-leading time of 12.40 seconds in blitzing the field in the Women’s 100-Meter Hurdles Beijing World Championships Preview at the 106th Drake Relays held at Drake Stadium.

Perhaps an underdog to Dawn Harper-Nelson, the 2008 Olympic Champion and 2012 Olympic Silver Medalist, and Brianna Rollins, the reigning World Champion, when taking her mark at the start line in the event, LSU’s former hurdle star took flight in her first outdoor season as a professional with a resounding victory.

Stowers’ victory was sealed when her winning time of 12.40 flashed on the scoreboard ahead of Harper-Nelson (12.71) in second place, Kristi Castlin (12.72) in third place and Rollins (12.75) in fourth place.

In a race that was run with a legal tailwind of +1.5 meters per second, Stowers (12.40) smashed the previous Drake Relays meet record of 12.58 set by defending champion Castlin just one year ago. Her 12.40 is also the fastest hurdle time ever run this early in a season in the history of the sport, and makes Stowers the 12th-fastest hurdler in World history and the fifth-fastest American of all-time.

“I was definitely nervous. These are the top hurdlers in the world here, but I knew I had to remain focused and hit my start. Once I hit the start, I knew I had a good chance of winning,” Stowers shared in speaking with the media following her victory. “Once I crossed the finish line, I couldn’t believe I won, and the time I ran was crazy to see. Everyone out there are great competitors.”