Change of focus!
Calabar’s Taylor will not face big men at National Champs
World Under-18 400 metres champion, Christopher Taylor, won’t be racing with the big men at this week’s JAAA National Senior Championships.
Back spasms have influenced a decision to move Taylor from the men’s 400m to the Under20 boys 200 metres. Michael Clarke, Taylor’s coach at Calabar High School, says his charge’s summer target is now the Pan-American Junior Championships.
“He’s having some back, hamstring spasms,” reported Clarke yesterday. “It comes and goes as he’s still undergoing treatment and he has been responding OK,” he outlined.
He said the discomfort influenced the change of focus from the senior 400m. “We have opted not to go to the senior Trials”, Clarke explained. “He doesn’t want to run (the seniors) but he’ll be going to the junior Trials,” said the coach.
WILL RUN 200M
“He’ll be running the 200 metres,” he said of the young man who reached the final of the 400m at the 2016 National Senior Championships.
Nevertheless, Taylor is the fastest Jamaican junior in the 200m after his time of 20.59 seconds at the GC Foster Classic in March. He won the Class One 200m at Boys and Girls’ Championships with a wind-aided run of 20.70 seconds.
Taylor turns 18 in October and is therefore ineligible for the World Under-18 Championships next month in Kenya. To be eligible, entrants have to be under 18 for the entire calendar year.
THE MEN’S 400 metres is expected to be one of the really hot events at this weekend’s JAAA National Senior Championships.
The National Stadium will be buzzing from as early as 5:45 p.m. on Friday when firstround action in the event begins until when the final is run off on Sunday, June 25 at 6:10 p.m.
Led by Nathon Allen, the country’s male 400m runners are on the rise again after a few years of dormancy. Four athletes, including Allen, have gone under 45 seconds already this season, the first time this has happened since 2015. Then, five athletes led by National record holder Rusheen McDonald, ran sub-45 times before the National Championships.
The man of the moment is Allen who in his first outdoor season at the University of Auburn has improved immensely. His personal best is 44.52, a time he set when finishing second behind world leader Frederick Kerley. It was his third run under 45 seconds this season. With only a best of 45.39 seconds a year ago, Allen, who was third at the National Championships last year looks set to go all the way this time around.
The man Allen has to watch is Demish Gaye of G.C. Foster
College. Gaye was in tremendous form a year ago leading up to the National Championships but illness hurt his chances.
Gaye has gone sub 45 seconds twice this season with a best of 44.73 when defeating a strong field at the JN Racers Grand Prix Meet where he led from start to finish. This followed up on his win two weeks earlier when he won from behind at the Jamaica International Invitational meet. Gaye appears to have much more in him.
Both Akeem Bloomfield with a best of 44.74 and Steven
Gayle with 44.99 seconds are the other Jamaicans to have gone under the 45 seconds barrier. The likes of McDonald and Fitzroy Dunkley will not be coming to make up numbers but could find the pace too hot here. Allen the most improved athlete in the country in the one lap event is given the edge over Gaye who is yet to show if he can manage the rounds at this level.
TOP 3 PREDICTION
1. Nathon Allen 2. Demish Gaye 3. Akeem Bloomfield