By Noel 'Bravo' Francis, Special to TrackAlerts.Com
GIRLS’ Under-20 200m
Defending champion Kayelle Clarke of Trinidad & Tobago who had one of the narrowest margins of victory last year returns to take on all challengers for her coveted crown. Clarke who attends New Mexico Junior College made the women’s 200m semi-finals at the World Junior Championships last year and has a personal best of 23.44 seconds. She has not run many 200m outdoors this season and therefore might be lacking race sharpness. She will be hoping to get things right on the big day.
Nelda Huggins (23.77 PB) of the British Virgin Islands and Sada Williams (23.43 PB) of Barbados who were also in the same semi-finals as T&T’s Clarke at the World Junior Championships will add potency to this field. Kieanna Albury of Bahamas is a quality athlete and should be in the mix of things.
Jamaica’s Saqukine Cameron in last year’s 200m final seemed on course to challenge for a medal before pulling up injured with about 60 metres to go in the home straight, is now on a course of redemption in her final CARIFTA Games. She had been sprinting impressively throughout the season before her mediocre showing at ‘Champs 2015’. Cameron up to that point had established a new personal best of 23.18 seconds at the Jamaica CARIFTA trials and looked unbeatable. Now she has one final attempt to make things right and graduate from the junior level with honours.
The other Jamaican spot could come down to a toss up between Rene Medley who finished second at the CARIFTA trials and Natalliah Whyte (23.36 PB) the Youth Olympic champion and recent double sprint queen at ‘Champs’. Since the trials, Natalliah Whyte has been the more impressive of the two sprinters. She could get the nod ahead of Medley based on current form. Caribbean fans should expect top class sprinting from this field and the possibility of a photo finish deciding the winner must not be ruled out.
