media_artricles :: 2018

T&T athletes open medal quest at World U-20

Promising sprinters Timothy Frederick and Tyrell Edwards along with quarter-miler Rae-Ann Serville and javelin thrower Talena Murray will open their medal quest today at the IAAF World Under-20 Championships in Tampere, Finland.

The quartet will look to shake off any jitters they may have before challenging some of the leading junior athletes in the world at the biennial event being held at the Ratina Stadium.

Frederick and Edwards will line-up in the men's 100 metres dash this afternoon attempting to advance to the semifinals (10.50 am TT Time) and final (1.05 pm), both are carded for tomorrow.

Fredericks will run out of lane four in the opening heat while Edwards will face the starter in heat-six and will line-up in lane six.

"All is well with Timothy and Tyrell," said Sprints coach Kelvin Nancoo, who at that time was with the sprinters while they were being massaged, yesterday.

He said, "They are in good spirits and are ready to race tomorrow."

Frederick enters the competition with a season's best (sb) 10.41 seconds which he clocked in taking gold at last month's National Association of Athletics Administrations (NAAA) National Junior Championships.

Then Edwards was fourth in 10.70 seconds but improved on his time at the Senior Championships in clocking 10.46 seconds in placing eighth. Frederick was seventh with a slower time of 10.45 seconds.

The T&T duo will go for glory against the favourites of American Anthony Schwartz, South African duo Thando Dlodlo and Thembo Monareng after some impressive performances this season leading up to today's event.

Schwartz won the USA's U-20 title in 10.23 seconds last month and is the world U-20 leader courtesy of his 10.09 seconds clocking in Albuquerque.

Dlodlo is the second fastest U-20 youth runner in the world this year, thanks to his time of 10.11 seconds in Pretoria earlier this year.

Monareng was African U-20 champion last year and he clocked 10.18 seconds also in Pretoria.

Both Frederick and Edwards are part of the 4x100m team, which Nancoo, already looking ahead to the relays, was enthused by the prospects of T&T medalling in the relays.

"The guys had relay practice this morning (yesterday) and I am very impressed. The baton passing was excellent. I expect a big showing from them," he said. The heats for relay event is scheduled for Friday with the final taking place on Saturday.

Also on the track, today for T&T is national senior 400m silver-medallist Rae-Ann Serville, who will race in the women's 400m event. The heats for the one-lap event is set to begin at 9.50 am with Serville racing from lane two in heat three of five. She ran a PB and sb of 54.46 to place second at the Senior Championships.

Nancoo added that Serville will be very competitive in the 400m saying: "Rae-Ann will run well tomorrow (today)."

Earlier though from 3.24 am (TT time), Talena Murray will be over on the field competing in group B in the qualification round of the women's javelin throw.

Her aim will be to meet the qualifying standard of 53.50 or at least be among the 12 best performers, who will move on to the final tomorrow, starting at 11.50 am.

The Carifta, national senior and junior champion has a PB and sb of 50.60 achieved at a track and field series hosted by the NAAA in January.

Serville challengers include Italian Carolina Visca, who enters with a PB and sb 56.79 and Hui-Jun Li of Chinese Taipei (TPE), whose PB and sb is 56.60.

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