National Junior Champs takes spotlight this weekend

THE two-day National Junior Championships is on this weekend at the National Stadium.

Under-18 and Under-20 athletes will be seeking places on the team to the World Under-18 Championships in Nairobi , Kenya, July 12-16 and the Junior Pan Am Championships for Under-20 athletes in Peru, July 21-23. Action begins on Saturday at 10:30 a.m., while on the second day, Sunday, events start at 11 a.m.

At yesterday's press launch at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel, Jamaica Administrative Athletics Association (JAAA) chairman of the organising committee, Ludlow Watts, stated that some 215 athletes will be in action for the Junior Championships.

"Usain Bolt started his journey at the World Junior Championships in 2002, and this is the stage where the journey begins, and I am hoping the fans will turn out to support these athletes who are the future," said Watts.

TOP ATHLETES

Several local juniors are on the IAAF's top list in their events. Edwin Allen High's Kevona Davis is number one in the 200m and number two in the 100m; Britany Anderson and her teammate, Sanique Walker, are number one in the 100m hurdles and 400m hurdles respectively with times of 13.04 and 57.20.

On the boys' side, Calabar High's DeJour Russell is number one in the 110m hurdles with 13.31. His teammate, Michael Stevens, is number three in the 200m and four in the 100m with times of 20.93 and 10.37, respectively, while St Elizabeth Technical's sprinter Sachin Dennis is ranked number three in the 200 metres with 20.89.

Calabar High's Christopher Taylor has top billing among Under-20 athletes as his season's best of 45.41 puts him at number four in the 400m. Media partners for the event are the RJRGLEANER Communications group