media_artricles :: 2013

Walcott, Burns out National Champs

Bledman opens century defence

Keston Bledman opens the defence of his men’s 100 metres title, on day one of the NAAA Sagicor General/NGC National Open Track and Field Championships, at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Port of Spain, this evening.Bledman will face the starter in the seventh of nine preliminary round heats. Heat one is scheduled for seven p.m., and will feature national junior champion Ayodele Taffe. Aaron Armstrong will do battle in the second heat.

Richard “Torpedo” Thompson, the 2008 Olympic 100m silver medallist, should have things all his own way in heat four. Rondel Sorrillo is expected to dominate heat five.

In the sixth heat, former world junior champion Darrel Brown squares off against Jamol James. Emmanuel Callender is tipped to top heat eight. And in heat nine, Shermund Allsop is the man to beat.

The 24 fastest men in the preliminaries will advance to tomorrow’s semifinal round.

Reigning champion Kelly-Ann Baptiste will chase her seventh women’s 100m title. She will be on show at 6.40 this evening, in the opening first round heat. Nandelle Cameron, Reyare Thomas, Lisa Wickham and Sasha Springer will battle for the two automatic qualifying berths on offer in heat two.

Kai Selvon, Semoy Hackett and Shun-Shauna Mason face the starter in the third heat. And in the fourth and final heat, Michelle-Lee Ahye squares off against Ayanna Hutchinson.

The men’s 400m event promises to be a thriller, featuring the four men who teamed up for 4x400m bronze at the 2012 London Olympics—Lalonde Gordon, Jarrin Solomon, Ade Alleyne-Forte and Deon Lendore.

The preliminary round will be contested from 7.45 this evening, and in the opening heat, Alleyne-Forte will be on show. Zwede Hewitt and Jereem Richards will clash in heat two. Lendore runs in the third heat, and Solomon in the fourth.

Carifta Games boys’ under-20 one-lap champion, Machel Cedenio has been drawn in heat five, while Gordon, the 400m bronze medallist at the London Games, will open the defence of his national title in heat six.

Five-time champion Renny Quow will run in the seventh and final heat.

There will also be qualifying heats today in the women’s 400m and men’s 800m events.

Reigning women’s 400m champ, Sparkle McKnight is not listed for that event, but is expected to face the starter in the 400m hurdles, on Sunday.

Jamaal James, Gavyn Nero and Carifta champion Mark London will be on show in the men’s 800m preliminaries.

And from 5.30 this afternoon, Richard Jones, Curtis Cox, Kelvin Johnson, Michael Horne, Cantius Thomas and Romario Rodriguez will battle for precious metal in the men’s 10,000m—the opening event on the day one programme.

While most of T&T’s top athletes will compete at the Championships, there are a couple notable absentees.

Olympic men’s javelin gold medallist Keshorn Walcott is out with an ankle injury, while three-time national 100m champion Marc Burns is reportedly injured as well and will also miss the meet.

Walcott’s manager, Sean Roach, told the Express yesterday that while the injury to Walcott’s left ankle is not serious, the athlete has been withdrawn from the meet as a precautionary measure.

“We came to the decision for Keshorn to rest now to be ready for the World Championships in Russia.”

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