Taylor smashes Bolt's record

CALI, Colombia:

NOT in more than a decade has Jamaica seen a youth quarter-miler to match Usain Bolt's speed, but last night at the 9th International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) World Youth Championships at the Pascual Guerrero Stadium, Christopher Taylor showed why many see him as a future star.

The athlete smashed Bolt's Jamaican youth record 45.35 seconds in clocking a personal best and World Youth-leading 45.30 seconds in winning semi-final one of the boys' 400 metres to advance to today's final scheduled for 8:25 p.m.

Taylor showed discomfort during Wednesday's first round, but there were no signs of that discomfort last night.

"I just came here to win," Taylor, who is now sixth on the all-time youth list, told The Gleaner. "The execution was just to get out hard, cover the back stretch and then come home strong," he added.

Jamaica had a slightly better day than on Wednesday with most athletes advancing from their track events.

Kimone Shaw advanced to the final of the girls' 100m as one of the fastest qualifiers after clocking 11.68 seconds for third in semi-final three behind Jayla Kirkland of the USA in a season-best 11.54 and Hannah of Germany 11.55.

breezy

Earlier, Shaw was breezy in advancing from heat five of the 100m in a time of 11.58.

Vanesha Pusey failed to advance past semi-final one after clocking 11.89 for sixth.

Khalifa St Fort of Trinidad and Tobago set a new championships record in winning the semi-final in 11.24 seconds, lowering the previous mark 11.31 set by Jessica Onyepunuka of the USA in Sherbrooke, Canada in 2003.

Ten minutes later, American Candace Hill smashed the championship record again, winning semi-final two in 11.16.

Pusey had advanced from heat eight when she clocked a personal best 11.83 seconds in finishing second behind Germany's Hannah Brier 11.39.

Junelle Bromfield looked shaky as she went over the final few hurdles in the girls 400m hurdles semi-final two but qualified third from the heat in 58.67 behind winner Brandee Johnson of the USA in 58.51 and Italy's Ilaria Verderio, 58.56.

She will line up in lane seven of tomorrow's final at 6:55 p.m.

Devia Brown threw a personal best 15.68m, surpassing her previous mark of 15.05m to advance to the final of the girls' shot put from qualification Group B.

Sah-Jay Stevens threw 14.68m for 11th in qualification Group A of the girls' shot put and did not advance to the final.

Alex Robinson advanced to the semi-finals of the boys' 110m hurdles. He clocked 13.95 for fourth in heat one behind Mpho Tladi of South Africa 13.53, Brandon Herrigan of Australia , 13.69, and Max Hrela of Sweden, 13.75.

Chadrick Brown was sprinting well and on his way to qualification from heat two, when he hit the ninth hurdle. Despite clearing the hurdle successfully, he lost his balance after the tenth hurdle and fell close to the line going across fifth in 14.19. he heat was won by Canada's Joseph Daniels in a personal best 13.62 .

The progress of Janeek Brown and Sidney Marshall, the Jamaicans in the semi-finals of the girls' 100m hurdles ended at that stage.

Brown clocked 13.62 second for fourth in semi-final two behind winner Ilionis Guillauame of France in a personal-best 13.23.

Marshall was fifth in semi-final one in 13.64 in the event won by Ecuador's Maribel Caicedo in a World Youth-leading 13.11.