Sport

Helsinki ready to rumble!

By ELTON TUCKER, Assistant Sport Editor

( left - right ) Michelle Ballentine and Michael Frater

HELSINKI, FINLAND

THE 10TH IAAF WORLD Championships in Athletics opens in wet Helsinki tomorrow with several Jamaican athletes bowing into action.

A fairly dry July has given way to a fairly damp August in the Finnish capital. The entire afternoon yesterday was dark and very cool as it rained until past midnight. The weather is expected to continue much the same today but the forecast is that things will get better on tomorrow's first day of action.

National men's shot put champion Dorian Scott will be the first to see action. He goes in group 'A' of the men's qualification round. He will be followed by Tricia Smith in the qualification round of the women's triple jump.

While this is Scott's first taste of major competition, Smith was fourth at the Athens Olympics last year and is one of Jamaica's medal hopes at the championships.

Ainsley Waugh has replaced the injured Asafa Powell in the men's 100m. Waugh, who was fourth at the June National Championships, runs in heat two where he will face Frenchman Ronald Pognon who has a 2005 best of 9.99. Waugh has run a personal best 10.20 this year.

Dwight Thomas is down for heat three where he faces 2003 silver medallist Darrel Brown of Trinidad and Tobago while Michael Frater runs in heat seven along with defending champion Kim Collins of St. Kitts.

Olympic champion and favourite Justin Gatlin will face the starter in heat four. The quarterfinals are set for the evening session.

Two Jamaican women are down to compete in the 3000m steeple chase heats. Korene Hinds will race in the first of two heats while Mardrea Hyman goes in the second heat.

Hot heats

The men's 400m hurdles heats will be hot. Jamaica will field three entries with national champion Kemel Thomas and last year's Olympic silver medalist Danny McFarlane expected to do very well.

McFarlane clashes with American sensation Kerron Clement in heat one while Thompson faces Frenchman Naman Keita in heat two. Clement has a best time of 47.24 this year and is a strongly favoured to dethrone Dominican Republic's Olympic and world champion Felix Sanchez, who has been troubled by injury this year but will still compete.

He runs in heat three with another top young American, Bershawn Jackso. Jamaica's third entry, Dean Griffith, runs in the fourth of five heats.

A lot of Jamaican interest will be focussed on the women's 800 metres heats. The island's best prospect for many years, national record holder Kenia Sinclair, runs in heat one. Her main rival should be American Hazel Clarke.

Sinclair has a 2005 best of 1:58.88 while Clarke's best time is 1:57.99. Former national champion Michelle Ballentine runs in heat five.