Defending champion, Jaheel Hyde (JAM), clocked a cool 49.77 to take his expected place in the final of the one lap hurdles event, scheduled for Saturday, Day V’s (July 23) evening session, here at the IAAF Under20 Championships in Bydgoszcz, Poland.
The multi talented athlete who has 110mh titles at both the World Youth Championships and Youth Olympic Games in 2013 and 2014, respectively, toyed with the opposition to claim heat 3. Another Caribbean athlete to advance, was the heat 2 winner, Nyron McMaster (IVB), 50.49, which made him the third fastest in the round. The Jamaican’s teammate, Timor Barrett did not make it, despite a personal best of 51.38 for 3rd in heat 2. Also in that position, was Barbadian, Rivaldo Leacock, 52.22 for 5th in heat 2.
Jamaica’s Shannon Kalawan took the silver medal, running from lane 8 in the women’s 400mh in a modest for her, 56.54 secs. The world junior champion is the USA’s Anna Cockrell with a best ever 56.20.
Looking for a top medal to atone for his absence from his favourite event, the shorter sprint, due a false start at his country’s junior trials, Jamaican Nigel Ellis, the sole Caribbean finalist, had to settle for a bronze in the men’s 200m. He ran a less than impressive 20.63 seconds, the gold going to the USA’s Michael Norman, Jr. in a championships record, 20.17.
In the women’s 200m semifinals, the Caribbean pair of Barbadian, Sada Williams, 1st in heat 1 with 23.35 and Bahamaland’s Jenae Ambrose, topping heat 2 in 23.44, took positions 2 and 3, respectively on the qualifying echelon. Top qualifying spot went to Bahrain’s Edidiong Ofonime Odiong with 23.19. The Jamaican lasses, Shanice Reid, 4th in heat 2 at a season best, 23.85 and Romeisha McGregor, with a personal record of 23.94 for 4TH in heat 1, failed to advance.
The only Caribbean face to show in the men’s high jump final, was Bermuda’s Jah-Nhai Perinchief. He took 7th spot with 2.18m with the gold medal going to Cuba’s Luis Enrique Zavas, clearing 2.27m.
There was disappointment for Caribbean fans in the women’s 4X100m relay when Jamaica going in seeded number two at 44.30 were disqualified and the Trinidad & Tobago girls did not start. Top of the advancing pack, was France at 43.81 – a world junior leader – getting in ahead of the much vaunted USA, who clocked 44.31.
Over by their male counterparts, Jamaica and Barbados had contrasting results with the former 5th in the advancing pack with 39.80 for 2nd in heat two, following home the German team, timed in 39.67. The Bajans were out of the money at a national under-20 record of 40.14 for 4th in heat 3.
