Aasia Laurencin will cap off a remarkable indoor track and field season by competing at the World Indoor Championships in Nanjing, China this weekend, representing Saint Lucia for the first time on the international stage.
The 22-year-old will compete in the women’s 60m hurdles.
Competing for the University of Michigan Wolverines, Laurencin has twice this season set the national record for her event. Her best time of 7.97 seconds ranks her 15th in the field going into the 20th World Indoor Championships at Nanjing’s Cube Gymnasium.
A former University of Texas teammate of World 60m champion Julien Alfred, Laurencin’s journey begins with the opening heats on Sunday at 6:25 a.m. Saint Lucian time, from which she will be hopeful of qualifying through to the semifinal and final on the same day.
It’s been a whirlwind season for the graduate student in sociology, who has had her heart set on pulling on a Saint Lucia uniform for several years now. Just last weekend, she made the final of her event at the NCAA Championships, where she ran 8.01 and 8.09 seconds, and was named a First Team All-American. During her time in maize and blue, the granddaughter of former St Jude Hospital chief surgeon Denis Laurencin was a five-time All-American.
“This milestone highlights Saint Lucia’s presence in world-class athletics, as Laurencin becomes one of the few athletes from the island to compete in the hurdles at this prestigious level,” read a statement from Saint Lucia Athletics Association president, Dora Henry.
“We extend heartfelt congratulations to Aasia Laurencin and Coach Steven Rajewsky on this remarkable accomplishment. We stand behind them as they prepare to represent Saint Lucia with excellence and determination in Nanjing.”
Accompanying Laurencin will be her school coach, Steven Rajewsky. 127 countries and 576 athletes will be in action this weekend in Nanjing.
