Hot hurdles clashes at Youngster Goldsmith

ALL eyes will be on the hurdle events when the 21st staging of the Youngster Goldsmith Meet takes place inside the National Stadium today starting at 8:00 a.m. with the men's 0pen 400m hurdles set to get things underway.

The meet has been renamed the GraceKennedy/Puma Youngster Goldsmith National Athletics Classics following the recent sponsorship support from GraceKennedy.

Meet director Raffic Shaw is very optimistic about another big turnout as athletes from the top high schools and clubs in the island will be in attendance.

"This meet is the only one where we have heats and finals for sprint hurdle events and we expect great competition here", said Shaw.

Among the females, there should be two epic battles in Classes Two and One. In Class Two, both Crystal Morrison of St. Jago and Excelsior's Ackera Nugent will continue their rivalry from Class Three, where Morrison won the 80m hurdles at Champs in a very close affair. At the Central and Hurdles Meet a few weeks ago, both met at G.C. Foster College for the first time in Class Two in the 100m hurdles, where Morrison stopped the clock in 13.40 seconds in a record run as Nugent finished second in 13.42 seconds also inside the old record of 13.46 seconds.

Close encounter

A week ago at the Queen's Grace Jackson Meet, both athletes were involved in another close encounter and this time, it was Nugent who came out on top as she won in a wind - aided 13.48 seconds, ahead of Morrison, who was second in 13.52 seconds. With the score sitting at 1-1 so far this season, another stellar battle is expected between the two, with the likes of Holmwood Technical duo, Dyandra Gray and Shamel Robinson, along with Hydel's Raydonna Lee adding more drama.

Brittany Anderson after two good wins so far in Class One, will be hoping to maintain her good form when she competes again with the big girls, despite being eligible to compete in Class Two. With times of 13.82 and 13.70 seconds, she will be hoping to show improvements and score her third win.

She will not have things her own way this time as her former team-mate at Vere Technical, Amoi Brown, is expected to compete.

Brown, the Carifta Games Under 20 champion clocked a fast opener at the Wint/McKenley Calabar Invitational Meet, winning in 13.80 seconds. Also in the line-up will be the World Under 18 bronze medallist, Daszay Freeman of Queen's and Shanette Allison of Holmwood.

With the absence of Dejour Russell, who is set to open his season next week, the Boys' Class One 110 metres hurdles is expected to be very competitive. Russell's teammate, Orlando Bennett, will start favourite but the likes of Jamaica College's Phillip Lemonious, Wolmer's Jeremy Farr and Kingston College's Wayne Pinnock should keep him on his toes.