Carifta champions Kenejah Williams and Mark London will lead T&T into battle on the opening morning of action of the 2012 Central American and Caribbean Junior Track and Field Championships, which get Underway in San Salvador, El Salvador today. Williams (Tobago Falcons) and Shervonne Worrell (Zenith) will vie for top honours in the Boys Under 18 shot put finals set for 8 am today (10 am local time). The duo will fancy their chances of winning the country’s first medals of the three day meet as they are ranked third and fourthrespectively in the event. Williams is the reigning Carifta Boys Under 17 Shot Put champion while Worrell will be aiming to improve on his sixth place finish at the 2010 edition of the meet in the Dominican Republic. London (Zenith) is listed to line up in the semifinals of the Boys Under 20 800m. The Carifta champion is expected to advance to the finals later today and is ranked at number seven following his world junior qualifying time of 1:50.54 at the Sagicor/NGC Open Championships last Sunday.
Nicholas Landeau is slated to compete in the Boys Under 18 800m semis and is looking to advance to the finals also on later today. Ayana Glasgow (Toco TAFAC) and Meriah Freeman (D’Abadie Progressive) will be the first locals in action when they enter the 100m Hurdles, the first of seven events in the Girls Under 18 Heptathlon. The High Jump will also be contested this morning while the Shot Put and 200m will be completed this afternoon in the two day multi-event discipline. Glasgow’s Toco clubmate Kechelle Douglas will run in the 100m Hurdles of the Girls Under 20 Heptathlon events. Douglas will also contest the High Jump, Shot Put and 200m events. Aaliyah Telesford (Pt. Fortin New Jets) and Zakiya Denoon (Zenith) will be this country’s entrants in the Girls Under 18 100m semis. Telesford is the second quickest in the field (11.70) while Denoon is at number seven (11.95). In the Boys Under 18 semis, Carifta Boys Under 17 200m champion Jonathan Farinha (Abilene Wildcats) and Nicholas Douglas (Zenith) are among the starters.
Farinha is rated at number four (10.50) and Douglas ninth (10.69). Jonathan Holder and Ashron Sobers (Zenith) will fly the national colours in the Boys Under 20 class. Holder (10.47) is ranked at fifth with Sobers (10.51) at seventh. Lisa Wickham (Concorde) is expected to be among the starters of the Girls Under 20 division. The finals will be run off later today. Hezekiel Romeo (Memphis) will contend for the top spot in the Boys Under 20 Shot Put finals. The 2011 World youth finalist will be hoping to match his gold medal performance two years ago and is the third best competitor on the start list. The Memphis duo of Reubin Walters and Brandon Benjamin have been named to contest the 400m Hurdles semis. Walters will run the Boys Under 18 event and Benjamin in the Under 20 category while Kernesha Spann (Neon Trackers) will be aiming to take the Girls Under 20 400m Hurdles after her success in the Girls Under 17 300m Hurdles event in 2010. The finals will run off later in the day.
The first athlete in action in the afternoon session is expected to be Andwuelle Wright (Signal Hill Secondary). The Carifta Boys Under 17 gold medallist is listed in the Boys Under 18 long jump and could be joined by multi-event athlete Kevin Roberts (Pt Fortin New Jets). Wright has the fourth furthest jump of all the entrants with Roberts just ahead in third. Worell and Williams will be back in action in the Boys Under 18 Discus and will be hoping to improve on their fourth and sixth places finishes respectively in the 2010 Boys Under 17 finals. Atiba Wright (UWI Sixth-Form) will bid for gold in the Boys Under 20 Long Jump. For this year’s Championships, the younger age group has been changed from Under 17 to Under 18 while the Under 20 category has been maintained. Also each country will be allowed to enter three athletes in the multi-events. At the 2010 edition, T&T finished third on the medal standings with 27 (12 gold, six silver and nine bronze). The three day meet ends on Sunday.
-Clayton Clarke
Source: www.guardian.co.tt