Sport

Jamaica aim at World Youth Champs

MARRAKECH, MOROCCO, CMC

REGIONAL TRACK AND field giants Jamaica and Cuba are eager to continue their dominance of the IAAF World Youth Championship, slated to have its fourth staging next month.

Both northern Caribbean territories are winners of 30 of the region's 40 medals in the history of the event, and are expected to continue the good results achieved by their athletes in the previous three editions in Poland (1999), Hungary (2001) and Canada (2003).

Cuba have shortlisted 10 athletes for the July 13-17, World Under-18 championships, with promising triple jumper Héctor Dairon Fuentes leading the charge after his 16.23 metres season's best effort this season.

Fuentes is on course to continue the successful path of his countrymen in the previous editions of the World Youth Championships, with six of the 13 medals obtained by Cuba in the last three World Youths won by triple jumpers.

Unlike the Cubans, whose strengths are in their jumpers and the throwers, Jamaica exhibit their potency through sprinters and will seek to continue this rich tradition in Marrakech.

Impressive 17-year-old Schillonie Calvert leads the Jamaican sprinters with respectable times of 11.44 and 23.44 seconds in the 100 and 200 metres, respectively.

Calvert anchored the Jamaican sprint relay team to win the silver medal at the 2004 World Junior Championships in Grosseto, Italy.

Her teammate Kimberly Smith also has a solid 11.64 seconds in the 100 metres and in the half lap, 16-year-old LaToya King posted a convincing 23.68 seconds win at the 2005 CARIFTA games in Tobago.

Trinidad and Tobago also count on their female sprinters Jurnelle Francis, Marsha Louis and Britney and Sade St. Louis, while speedsters Dax Danns and Randy Lee lead the Guyana team.

Grenada feature two female sprinters in Alison George and Ann Marie Francis, while more athletes are expected from St Kitts and Nevis, Barbados, Bahamas, Antigua and Barbuda and Bermuda.