St. John's University Athletics
Phobay Kutu-Akoi Shines At The IAAF World Championships
8/29/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track and Field
Aug. 29, 2011
QUEENS, N.Y. - St. John's alum, Phobay Kutu-Akoi, broke onto the international track & field scene over the weekend by finishing 36th overall in the 100-meter dash at the IAAF World Championships. Her time of 11.61 seconds was just off her 11.52 second performance for St. John's in 2009 that gave her the school record in the 100-meters.
In the preliminary rounds, Kutu-Akoi won her heat with a time of 11.62 seconds advancing her to the second round. Her performance was the second fastest time of all competitors in the preliminary round. The following day, Kutu-Akoi finished sixth out of the eight runners in her heat, leaving her just one step short of a semi-final appearance.
"We are very proud and pleased with Phobay's performance at the World Championships," said head track & field coach Jim Hurt. "Winning her opening round heat and placing sixth in the second round against the best sprinters in the world is indicative of Phobay's ability to perform at her best on the world stage and her determination to compete with the best sprinters on the planet."
Representing Liberia, Kutu-Akoi was the lone female athlete competing for her home country. Kutu-Akoi enjoyed a standout career at St. John's which included her record 100-meter time of 11.52 seconds in 2009 as well as the seventh best 200-meter time in school history and multiple All-BIG EAST honors.
American sprinter Carmelita Jeter would go on to take gold in the 100-meters with an impressive 10.90 second time in the finals. Veronica Campbell-Brown of Jamaica took silver and Kelly-Ann Baptiste trailed just behind to take bronze.
Fellow St. John's track & field alum DeWayne Barrett will compete in the 4 x 400-meter relay for Jamaica at the World Championships. The relay heats begin on Sept. 1 with the finals taking place the following day.
Players Mentioned
