Top juniors on show at three-day Carifta Trials

THE three-day trial to select Jamaica’s team to the April 8-10 Carifta Games in Nassau, Bahamas starts today at the National Stadium.

Action begins at 4:30 p.m. with the finals of the under-17 and under -20 girls’ shot put.

With the ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys and Girls’ Athletics Championships (Champs) just over two weeks away there should be some exciting clashes on the track, especially in the sprints. The under-20 100 metres for both girls and boys will take centre stage as World Under-20 silver medallists Serena Cole of Edwin Allen High and Kingston College’s Bouwahgjie Nkrumie will be in action.

In the girls’ event, Cole will renew rivalry with Hydel High’s Alana Reid. The World Under-20 200m bronze medallist upstaged Cole in the short sprint at last week’s Central Athletics Championships, winning in 11.39 seconds to Cole’s 11.93 for second. An interesting entrant in this event is Tia Clayton of MVP Track Club. Clayton, a former Edwin Allen High athlete, she was a member of the World Under-20 4x100m world record quartet in Cali, Colombia. Also in the line-up are Alexis James of Petersfield High and Carleita Bernard of Mount Alvernia High.

Nkrumie has been in sizzling form this season with two impressive wins in the 100 metres at the Camperdown Classic and Corporate Area Development meet. He will be joined in the event by his former Kingston College teammate Jeevan Newby, defending Carifta Games champion Deandre Daley of Herbert Morrison and Javoon Blair of Manchester High.

In the under-17 girls’ 100m all eyes will be on Edwin Allen’s Theianne Lee Terrelonge, the Class Three double sprint champion. Terrelonge is yet to qualify for an individual event at Champs due to injury.

St Elizabeth Technical’s Class Two athlete Tremaine Todd, with a season’s best 10.53, will feature in the under-17 boys’ 100m where he has the likes of Calabar High’s Khamani Gordon and Terrence Stennett of Herbert Morrison High to contend with.

The finals of the 100 metres will be contested on tomorrow’s second day of competition starting at 6:30 p.m. with the under-17 girls’ event. Preliminary round action for the 100m takes place today with the under-17 girls to take the track at 6 p.m.

Also on the track today will be the preliminary rounds of the 400m. The under-20 girls’ 400m will feature Holmwood Technical Rickiann Russell and Hydel High’s Abigail Campbell, while among the boys Delano Kennedy of Edwin Allen will lead the charge.

First-round action in 1500m will feature four top Class One Girls contenders, Jodyann Mitchell of Holmwood, Kishay Rowe of Alphansus Davis, Rickeisha Simms of Edwin Allen and Shone Walters of St Mary High in under-20 action.

Eight field event finals will be contested today with Cole in action in the under-20 long jump at 5 p.m. She will take on season leader Aaliah Foster of Mount Alvernia. Foster has a best of 6.19m. World Under-20 shot put silver medallist Kobe Lawrence of Calabar will also be in action today in the final of the event at 6:15 p.m.