Aug. 19, 2009

BERLIN – Kentucky sprinter Rondel Sorrillo finished sixth in his 200 meter dash semifinal and 13th overall after crossing the finish line in a time of 20.63 at the International Association of Athletics Federations World Championships in Berlin, Germany Wednesday.

Sorrillo ran against Jamaica’s Usain Bolt, the world record holder in the 100m dash, for the third-straight race. Bolt led all semifinalists in the half-lap event clocking in at 20.08 going into tomorrow’s event final.

The Wildcat’s time was just shy of his quarterfinal time posted Tuesday of 20.58 when Sorrillo ran in the fastest 200m quarterfinal heat that sent five sprinters to the semis. Earlier in a first-round heat, Sorrillo finished second to Bolt to automatically advance to the quarterfinals. The returning senior clocked in at 20.74.

A native of Trinidad and Tobago, Sorrillo boasts a personal-best 200m time of 20.43. Last season, he set both the indoor and outdoor 200m dash varsity records at UK and earned All-America honors in both events. In the summer of 2008, Sorrillo won his 200m first-round heat while representing his homeland at the Summer Olympics in Beijing, China.

Wildcat teammate Jenna Martin will represent Canada in the women’s 4x400m relay this weekend. A rising junior, Martin and her teammates begin competition Saturday with the preliminary heats. Should the Canadian team advance, she would carry the baton in the final the following day. Martin holds both the indoor and outdoor 400m dash varsity records at Kentucky and was named to the indoor All-America team in 2008.

Stay tuned to UKathletics.com for further track and field updates.