The Caribbean’s rising stars, Christopher Taylor and Khalifa St Fort, made light work of opponents at the IAAF World Under-20 Championships inside the Zawisza Stadium in Bydgoszcz, Poland on Wednesday morning, Day II (20 July).
Jamaica’s World Youth champion, Taylor, who was very easy for the first half of his opening round heat, finished strongly to take first place, 46.73. Japanese, Kazuki Matsukiyo, 46.78 was second. Taylor said the plan was “to take it as easy as possible and advance to the semi-finals and that’s what I did.”
“My aim is to try, as best as possible, to make the final,” added the Calabar High School student. The 16 year old ended his post race interview with, “The next round I will have to get the start and keep going if I want to make the final.”
Sean Bailey, also of Jamaica, made progress with 46.83 for with his second place in heat 4 behind Abdalelah Haroun of Qatar, 46.51.
Cayman Islands’ Jamal Walton, 46.83 also made it through to the semi-finals from heat after finishing behind Karabo Sibanda of Botswana won in 46.34 in heat 6.
Trinidad and Tobago’s Jacob St. Clair, 48.39, Bahamas’ pair of Henri Delauze, 48.15 and Kinard Rolle, 48.60 all failed to advance.
Khalifa St Fort and Tristan Evelyn secured automatic semi-final spots in the women’s 100m.
Trinidad and Tobago’s St. Fort, the reigning World Youth silver medallist, topped heat 1 women’s 100m in 11.50. Barbados’ Evelyn got the third automatic spot from the heat with 11.81.
Vanesha Pusey of Jamaica, 11.60, along with Trinidad and Tobago’s Jenea Spinks, 11.66, and British Virgin Islands’ LT Sha Fahie, 11.78, all advanced from heat 3 as fastest losers. This heat was won by Imani-Lara Lansiquot of Great Britain in 11.17, the day’s second fastest time, only bettered by Polish girl, Ewa Swoboda, 11.10.
Patrice Moody, 12.02 and Nelda Huggings of BVI, 11.87, should be disappointed with not making it, while Devine Parker of Bahamas did not start.
Jamaicans Damion Thomas, 13.48 won heat 1 and De’Jour Russell, 13.83 for third in heat 2, along with Barbados’ Michael Nicholls, 13.62, have secured places in the semi-final round of the men’s 110m hurdles.
Thomas commented: “It was a very slow start, but I am happy to pull away with the victory and moved on to the next round.”
Bahamian Shakeem Hall-Smith ran a personal best 14.03, but did not make to the 110m hurdles semis. His teammate, Tavonte Mott, 13.89, also missed the chance of moving forward.
In the women’s 400m hurdles, Jamaican ladies, Shannon Kalawan, second in heat 5 with 58.23 and Nicolee Foster, third in heat 4 with 59.19, both made progress. BVI’s Lakeisha Warner, 60.93 also booked her semi-final spot.
Kalawan spoke about her opening performance.
“The strategy was to get the first three hurdles and come home, but I guess that wasn’t so, because I shuffled at the seventh hurdle and it kind of shake me down, so I am just taking it step by step.”
Dreshanae Rolle of Bahamas, 62.03 was left out of the advancing group after finishing seventh in heat four.
Janell Fullerton of Jamaica also failed to advance in the women’s shot put with her 14.33m throw. The event leader, Jiayuan Song of China qualified with 16.17m.
Trinidad and Tobago’s Chelsea James also failed to move on with her 13.72m
