Some stars missing from Penn squad
Published:Thursday | April 27, 2017 | 12:00 AMMarc Stamp
Several athletes who represented Jamaica at the IAAF World Relays in the Bahamas last weekend are missing from the team selected for the USA vs the World events at the Penn Relays in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania tomorrow.
Yohan Blake, the 2011 World 100 metres champion and men's team captain at the 2017 World Relays was not among the athletes selected for the Penn Relays sprint team. Also missing from the men's team are 2012 Olympic Games 200m bronze medallist Warren Weir and 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics 4x100m gold medallists Nickel Ashmeade and Kemar Bailey-Cole. All four were in the Bahamas.
On the female side, Anneshia McLaughlin-Wilby who was captain of the women's team at the World Relays is also not among those selected.
Team Jamaica technical leader, Maurice Wilson, told The Gleaner that the athletes selected are those available at this time.
"They did not make themselves available, so the JAAA (Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association) picked the available athletes,"Wilson said.
"Athletes can be unavailable due to injury or personal reasons. We need the best athletes to represent us but we have to work with the ones available," Wilson added.
The Jamaica squad is headed by double Olympic sprint champion Elaine Thompson. Thompson was a member of the 4x200m women's quartet which won gold in Nassau last weekend,
Women's team: Elaine Thompson, Kerron Stewart, Christiana Williams, Natasha Morrison, Gayon Evans, Anastasia Le-Roy, Verone Chambers, Audra Segree, Janieve Russell, Stephanie-Ann McPherson, Dawnlee Loney and Shericka Jackson.
Men's team: Oshane Bailey, Omar Thompson, Jevaughn Minzie, Kevaun Rattray, Martin Manley, Jamari Rose, Leford Green, Jermaine Gayle, Kavean Smith, Allodin Fothergill, Fitzroy Dunkley, Jo-Wayne Hibbert and Mario Forsythe.
Management team: Garth Gayle (co-ordinator), Nakesha Edwards (chaperone), George Stone (assistant manager), Maurice Wilson (technical leader), Jermaine Shand (coach), Collin Turner (masseur), Romario Barrett (masseur) and Roshawn Johnson (masseur).