media_artricles :: 2015

SWEET SILVER

St Fort 2nd in World Youth 100

In still conditions in Thursday night's final, St Fort got home in a fast 11.19 seconds to capture the runner-up spot, behind Candace Hill, the American grabbing gold in a Championship record time of 11.08. Hill's teammate, Jayla Kirkland claimed bronze in a personal best 11.41.

St Fort actually had possession of the Championship record following her 11.24 seconds triumph in the opening semifinal heat. But it was shortlived. Seven minutes later, Hill won heat two in 11.16.

The first of St Fort's three national under-18 record runs came in the preliminary round. The 17-year-old T&T sprinter topped heat two in 11.39 seconds to erase her own 11.43 standard from the books.

About nine hours later, St Fort was back on the track running two-tenths of a second faster to secure T&T's sixth medal in the 16-year history of the World Youth Championships.

In addition to being a new national youth record, St Fort's 11.19 run was just two-hundredths of a second outside the 11.17 T&T junior (under-20) standard, established by Kelly-Ann Baptiste in 2005. St Fort has two more years in the under-20 ranks.

Former T&T track star Ato Boldon is now a journalist, and interviewed St Fort after Thursday's championship race. The new sprint star was excited about her medal-winning performance in her first-ever meet in T&T colours.

“It was great. It's something I could do for the rest of my life. It's so exciting. I would like to be on the international stage in Rio 2016 (Olympics), and anywhere else.

“Khalifa St Fort,” the American-born athlete continued, “is all about hard work and execution and being proud of myself no matter what place I come in. Even though I came in second, I ran my best. I can't be mad about that at all.”

Boldon is also St Fort's coach, and gave her a warm hug at the end of the interview.

The century silver was T&T's first medal at the global under-18 meet since 2005, the bubbly teen ending the ten-year drought in fine style. St Fort is only the second female athlete from this country to secure a World Youth podium finish, following in the strides of Baptiste, the 2003 100m bronze medallist.

St Fort's 11.19 personal best is well inside the 11.33 IAAF World Championship standard, putting the teenager in the selection frame ahead of the August 22-30 global meet in Beijing, China.

T&T's Akanni Hislop did not face the starter in yesterday's opening round of the World Youth Championship boys' 200m event.

In a press release, National Association of Athletics Administrations (NAAA) public relations officer, Peter Samuel explained that Hislop is injured.

“Sprinter Akanni Hislop, who finished 11th overall in the boys' 100m dash, has been withdrawn from his pet event, the 200m dash. This decision was taken after he obtained a hamstring injury in the 100m semifinals yesterday (Wednesday) evening.”

Top