media_artricles :: 2012

Cedenio on fire at Junior Champs

Machel Cedenio was in superb form on day one of the National Junior Track and Field Championships, at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Port of Spain, yesterday.

The 16-year-old athlete clocked a personal best 46.68 seconds to claim gold in the boys' under-18 400 metres event.

Cedenio came off the final turn with a massive lead, and never let up on the home straight. With no challenger on the track, he took on the clock and came away victorious, bettering the 47.30 seconds World Junior standard.

Silver medallist Theon Lewis got home in 48.53 to finish just ahead of bronze medallist Asa Guevara (48.55), both athletes diving under the 49.00 Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Junior Championship standard.

Cedenio was one of six athletes who achieved World Junior standards, yesterday.

Like Cedenio, Jereem Richards was well inside the 47.30 qualifying mark for the July 10-15 global junior meet, in Barcelona, Spain. Richards established a new personal record (PR), 46.79 seconds, in winning the boys' under-20 title. Runner-up, Brandon Benjamin clocked 47.31 to beat the 47.50 CAC Junior standard.

Jonathan Holder and Ashron Sobers finished one-two in the boys' under-20 100m final, clocking 10.62 and 10.63, respectively.

In the semis, though, both sprinters were faster than the 10.60 World Junior standard, Holder winning heat two in 10.47 and Sobers topping heat one in 10.51.

Aaliyah Telesford produced a scorcher in the girls' under-18 100m championship race. She struck gold in a fast 11.70 seconds, one-tenth of a second faster than the 11.80 World Junior qualifying time. Zakiya Denoon (11.95) and Kayelle Clarke (12.01) were second and third, respectively, both athletes bettering the 12.05 CAC Junior standard.

Hezekiel Romeo was the first athlete to attain a World Junior standard yesterday. He won the boys' under-20 shot put with an 18.36 metres throw—36 centimetres beyond the 18.00m qualifying mark.

Of the 20 athletes who achieved CAC Junior standards on day one, Jeminise Parris was the only one to qualify in two events. Parris won the girls' under-18 100m hurdles in 14.38 seconds and the 400m flat in 56.52.

In the boys' under-18 1500m, both Nicholas Landeau and Jevon Joseph ran faster than the four minutes, 10.00 seconds CAC Junior standard. Landeau triumphed in 4:08.58, while Joseph clocked 4:08.83 to pick up silver.

Ruebin Walters topped the boys' under-18 110m hurdles field in 13.68 seconds--more than half a second faster than the 14.20 CAC Junior time.

Reigning Carifta Games boys' under-17 long jump champion Andwuelle Wright jumped 6.93m to capture the national under-18 long jump title. Wright was not the only athlete to jump beyond the 6.70m CAC Junior standard. Competing in the boys' under-18 octathlon, Kevin Roberts topped the long jump with a 6.85m leap.

Throwers Shervonne Worrell, Shaquille Waithe and Portious Warren also addressed the national selectors with CAC Junior standard performances.

Worrell produced a 47.08m effort to cop the top spot in the boys' under-18 discus. Waithe was the class of the boys' under-18 javelin field with a 57.74m throw. And Warren produced a 13.50m heave to secure gold in the girls' under-18 shot put.

The National Junior Championships continue from nine a.m. today, at the Crawford Stadium.

New Pan American junior record holder, Keshorn Walcott will be on show in the boys' under-20 javelin.

Top