media_artricles :: 2014

Jehue bids for gold

Jehue Gordon will bid for gold in today’s Commonwealth Games men’s 400 metres hurdles final, at Hampden Park here in Glasgow, Scotland.

In the first qualifying heat, yesterday, Gordon was in front coming off the final turn, and stayed there, securing victory in 49.42 seconds. Jamaican Annsert Whyte clocked 49.58 to finish second, also earning an automatic berth in the final.

“Felt good,” Gordon told the Express. “No complaints. I’m much healthier than I was earlier in the season. We’ve already put in the work in the pre-camp leading up to Glasgow.”

Gordon shut down in the dying stages of the race, but then put out a little extra at the very end to ensure he was not passed.

“I realised they were coming back on me, and I didn’t want to give up the top two qualifying spots and jeopardise a good lane (in the final).”

Gordon was the second fastest qualifier, heat two winner Cornel Fredericksof South Africa heading the list with a 49.26 run.

“Time isn’t really important,” said Gordon. “This is my first Commonwealth Games. Being in the final is already surpassing expectations for me because even though I’m the world champ, I’ve never been at the Commonwealth Games. It’s a different experience—the younger guys, the ones who never attained any medal, they’re hungry. They’re trying to get on that rostrum too.”

In heat three, T&T’s Emanuel Mayers was fifth in 50.51seconds and 13th overall, missing out on the eight-man championship race.

In the women’s 200m, Reyare Thomas finished third in heat two in 23.25 seconds to qualify for the semifinal round. The T&T sprinter advanced sixth fastest.

Kyle Greaux and Rondel Sorrillo are through to the semis of the men’s 200m. Both advanced via the “fastest loser” route.

Greaux finished third in the 10th and final heat in 20.79 seconds to progress as the fastest of the four “fastest losers” that advanced. Sorrillo was the slowest of the four, clocking 20.98 for third spot in heat two. Jereem Richards was third in heat three in 21.13, and did not qualify for the semifinal round.

Deandra Daniel cleared the bar at 1.76m to finish 17th in the women’s high jump qualifying competition. The top 12 progressed to the final.

In the women’s 800m, Alena Brooks returned a time of two minutes, 06.33 seconds to finish sixth in heat two and 21st overall. Sixteen half-milers moved on to the semis.

And women’s triple jump bronze medallist Ayanna Alexander exited the long jump event at the qualifying stage. Her 5.77m leap earned her 23rd spot.

At the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre (SECC), T&T boxer Aaron Prince exited in the men’s middleweight division, losing a unanimous points decision to two-time Commonwealth Games medallist Vijender Singh. The Indian is into the semis, and assured of a third item of precious metal.

At the SSE Hydro, T&T gymnast William Albert produced a score of 70.331 to finish last in the 24-man men’s all-around final.

At Scotstoun Campus, table tennis players Rheann Chung and Aleena Edwards exited in the round of 32 in the women’s singles. Chung suffered an 11-5, 11-9, 9-11, 11-9, 11-8 defeat at the hands of Naomi Owen, of Wales, while Edwards was beaten at 4, 4, 6 and 4 by Malaysia’s Beh Lee Wei.

In men’s doubles, Dexter St Louis and Curtis Humphreys won against Pakistan to set up a clash with the Guyana team of Paul David and Idi Lewis. The T&T pair won 12-14, 11-7, 9-11, 11-8, 11-4 to progress to the round of 16. Yuvraaj Dookram and Aaron Wilson successfully negotiated their first round contest with Dominica, before losing to India in the round of 32.

In mixed doubles, St Louis and Chung beat a pair from Sri Lanka 3-2 to reach the round of 32, but were then beaten 3-1 by an Indian combination. Wilson and fellow-teenager Catherine Spicer outplayed Jamaicans Kane Watson and Yvonne Foster to reach the round of 64, where they lost to the same Indian pair that went on to defeat St Louis and Chung. Humphreys and Ashley Quashie were stopped by Ghana in the opening round, the same stage at which Dookram and Edwards lost to Wales.

Also at Scotstoun Campus, T&T squash players Colin Ramasra and Kerrie Sample beat a pair from Mauritius in the mixed doubles. Kale Wilson and Charlotte Knaggs, however, lost to Malta. In women’s doubles, Knaggs and Sample were defeated by Papua New Guinea and England. And in men’s doubles, Ramasra and Wilson lost to a pair from Wales.

Team T&T Today
(All TT times)

5.30 a.m. – Table tennis, women’s & men’s doubles, men’s singles
6.30 a.m. – Squash, mixed doubles
1.13 p.m. – Athletics, Reyare Thomas, women’s 200 semis
1.32 p.m. – Athletics, Rondel Sorrillo, men’s 200semis
1.38 p.m. – Athletics, Kyle Greaux, men’s 200semis
2.00 p.m. – Hockey, Women vs Wales
2.15 p.m.– Netball vs Scotland
3.15 p.m. – Athletics, Jehue Gordon, men’s 400 hurdles final
3.30 p.m. – Athletics, Annie Alexander, women’s discus qualifying
4.42 p.m. – Athletics, Deborah John, women’s 100 hurdles heats
4.49 p.m. – Athletics, Josanne Lucas, women’s 100 hurdles heats

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