Under-20 100m set to light up Carifta trials
THE COUNTRY’S top under-17 and -20 athletes will be in action over three days, starting on Friday, at the National Junior Championships inside the National Stadium, as they seek spots on the team to the Carifta Games to be held from March 30 to April 1 in St George’s, Grenada.
The event most likely to attract attention at those championships will be the boys’ Under20 100 metres. The preliminary round will be held on Friday’s opening day before the final on Saturday.
With athletes nearing their peak, just ahead of the ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys and Girls’ Athletics Championships, it should be a cracker.
Leading the field is former St Elizabeth Technical sprinter Javorne Dunkley. Dunkley, who still has a year of eligibility at Champs did not return to school as he is now a part of Elite Performance Track Club.
With a season’s best of 10.29 seconds, he is the joint world under-20 leader in the event with the Australian, Sebastian Sultana.
After being disqualified for false starting in the semifinals of the trials last year, Dunkley will be hoping to go all the way and recently showed some good form when finishing second to training partner, Nigel Ellis, in a wind-aided 10.17 seconds at the Gibson McCook Relays.
Top schoolboy so far this season, Hector Benjamin of Jamaica College, who won the boys’ Class 1 event at the McKenley/ Wint Classics in a season’s best of 10.34 seconds, has been quiet since but will be keen to do something special going into Champs.
Herbert Morrison Technical’s, DeAndre Daley, the country’s second-fastest junior last year with 10.08 seconds, but started his preparation for this season late, has also shown good form with a season’s best 10.40 seconds at the Milo Western Relays at G.C. Foster College.
Others who are expected to make the event special include the likes of St Jago’s Raheem Pinnock, whose season’s best is 10.47, along with Kingston College’s Yourie Lawrence-Clarke, who scored a good win at the Corporate Area Championships in a personal best 10.55. Shaquane Gordon, who clocked 10.59 to finish just behind Lawrence-Clarke at the Corporate Area Championships, is also set for the Junior Championships blocks.