World Junior champion Darrel Brown has been overlooked by National Association of Athletic Administration (NAAA) for the list of T&T athletes that will compete at the World Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Daegu, Korea later this month. Brown ran impresseively on Sunday in Sagicor Open National Track and Field Championships at the Hasely Crawford, Mucurapo, leading a quartet that included Rondell Sorillo, Lalonde Gordon and Emmanuel Callender, to gold in the 4x100 metres relay event.
When reached for a comment on Brown’s non selection, NAAA president Ephraime Serrette stated that his association is not obligated to explain its selection criteria to the media. On Saturday, Brown placed sixth in the Men’s 100m final in a time of 10.13 seconds. Winning the event was Richard “Torpedo” Thompson, who broke the national record in 9.85. Thompson, a double Olympic silver medallist and reigning World Championships bronze medallist Renny Quow will lead T&T’s charge in Korea.

In-form sprinter Kelly-Ann Baptiste has also been selected and is this country’s top woman medal contender. The trio are among 20 athletes named by NAAA in a press release yesterday. Thompson warmed up for Daegu by claiming his third straight national title on Saturday. He will be seeking to better his fifth-place finish at the last World Champinships in Berlin, Germany in 2009. Quow was third in Berlin in the men’s 400m in 45.02. Baptiste will lead the way in the women’s 100m and has been in fine form with four wins on the international circuit. She beat former world champion and triple Olympic gold medallist Veronica Campbell-Brown of Jamaica in Paris on July 8. The 2003 World Youth bronze medallist goes to Daegu with the fifth fastest time (10.91) for 2011. Baptiste will be aiming to reach the medal round after missing out on a spot in the final in 2009.

Meanwhile, Borel-Browne will be participating in her fourth World Championships and will fancy her chances of making the finals for the first time since her maiden appearance in 2005. The two-time Commonwealth medallist is in the best form of her life with a national open record of 19.42 metres set in July and has been over the 19 metres barrier several times.

FULL TEAM

Women’s
100m (A-11.28/B-11.38)
Kelly-Ann Baptiste    10.91
Semoy Hackett    11.17
Michelle Lee-Ahye    11.22

200m (A-23.00/B-23.00)
Semoy Hackett    22.84
Kai Selvon    22.97

Shot put (A-18.30/B-17.30)
Cleopatra Borel-Brown    19.42

Triple Jump (A-14.30/B-14.10 or Area champion)
Ayanna Alexander    CAC gold medallist

4X100m (44.00)
Baptiste, Hackett, Lee-Ahye, Sevlon, Reyare Thomas, Ayanna Hutchison    43.40

Men’s
100m (A-10.18/B-10.25)
Richard Thompson    9.85
Keston Bledman    9.93
Aaron Armstrong    10.07

200m (A-20.60/B-20.70)
Rondel Sorillo    20.16

400m (A-45.25/B-45.70 or Area Champion)
Renny Quow    CAC champion
Zwede Hewitt    45.51

400m Hurdles (A-49.40/B-49.80)
Jehue Gordon    48.75

4x100m (39.20)
Thompson, Bledman, Armstrong, Sorillo, Marc Burns, Emmanuel Callender    38.89

4x400m (3:04:00)
Quow, Hewitt, Gordon, Jovon Toppin, Jarrin Solomin, Deon Lendore    3:01:65

Source: www.guardian.co.tt

By Clayton Clarke