Javelin thrower is World Juniors champ
Keshorn Walcott wrote a new chapter of history in Barcelona, Spain, yesterday, becoming the first Trinidad and Tobago athlete to earn a global throwing title.
The 19-year-old Toco field athlete struck gold in the World Junior Track and Field Championship men's javelin. He hurled the spear 78.64 metres in the final round to snatch the title from Argentine Braian Toledo's grasp.
Toledo took the lead with his first throw of the competition, and stayed in pole position right up until round five. But Walcott saved his best for last, landing the javelin 78.64m in the sixth round to become T&T's sixth world junior champion.
In 1992, Ato Boldon captured the men's sprint double in Seoul, South Korea. Ten years later, in Kingston, Jamaica, Darrel Brown became the country's second world junior champion, grabbing gold in the men's 100m dash.
In 2006, in Beijing, China, Renny Quow won the men's 400m title. At the same meet, Rhonda Watkins emerged victorious in the women's long jump, becoming the country's first ever female world champion, as well as the first global gold medallist from T&T in a field event. And two years ago, in Moncton, Canada, Jehue Gordon was crowned world junior champion in the men's 400m hurdles.
Yesterday, Walcott joined Watkins in an elite club, becoming only the second T&T field athlete to rule the world. Walcott also opened a club of his own, the javelin gold making him the first thrower from this country to win a global title. Toledo earned silver in Barcelona, thanks to his 77.09m second round effort, while bronze went to South Africa's Morne Moolman (76.29m).
Walcott's next assignment is the Olympic Games, in London, England. He achieved the "A" standard for the Olympics at the Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Junior Championships, in El Salvador, retaining his title with a personal best 82.83m throw--a new Pan American junior record, as well as an open T&T record. Walcott is first on the 2012 world junior list, and fifth on the all-time list for under-20 javelin throwers.
T&T's Kernesha Spann returned a time of one minute, 00.63 seconds to finish sixth in heat two and 21st overall in yesterday's women's 400m hurdles semis. The top eight advanced to the final.
Mark London bowed out in the opening round of the men's 800m, the T&T halfmiler copping eighth spot in heat two in 1:53.23.
Another T&T athlete, Steve Waithe produced a 15.12m effort to finish 23rd in the men's triple jump qualifying competition. The final will feature the top 12 finishers.
Jesse Berkley, Jonathan Holder, Ashron Sobers and Jonathan Farinha combined for third spot in the second of three men's 4x100m qualifying heats. However, the 40.01 seconds clocking produced by the T&T quartet was not good enough for a "fastest loser" berth in the final.
A T&T combination will be in action today in the qualifying round of the men's 4x400m relay.
-Kwame Laurence
Source: www.trinidadexpress.com