media_artricles :: 2016

St Fort, Spinks book semi spots

T&T's Khalifa St Fort did as expected and dominated her heat to advance comfortably to the next stage in the women's 100 metres at the IAAF World Under-20 Championships, at the Zdzislaw Krzyszkowiak Stadium in Bydgoszcz, Poland, yesterday.

St Fort, stopped the clock at 11.50 seconds to top the opening heat and qualified with the fourth fastest time of the 24 semi-finalists. She beat Great Britain's Hannah Brier (11.63) and Tristan Evelyn of Barbados (11.81), to the line.

"This race wasn't my best, but I definitely think I'm going to improve through the rounds. I need to have more explosion in my start. My goal is to run a sub-11, and I really think I can do it," St Fort was quoted saying following the race.

Joining the national junior record holder in the next round is T&T's other athlete in the event, Jenea Spinks, who almost matched her season's best 11.65, clocking 11.66 to place fifth in the third heat. The race proved to be a competitive one as all the runners from that heat progressed.

Home favourite Ewa Swoboda, who won the European junior title last year, registered the quickest qualifying time of 11.10. Imani-Lara Lansiquot of Great Britain was the second top qualifier, running a personal best of 11.17 while last year's champion American Candace Hill's time of 11.43 saw her advance with third fastest time.

Today, Spinks, who enters the semi-finals with 13th fastest time overall, will be up first in heat one from 6.05 am while St Fort, who is coached by four-time Olympic medal winner Ato Boldon, lines up in the second, aiming to place among the first two or one of the next two having the fastest times.

It was a disappointing morning session for quartermilers Kashief King and Jacob St Clair, and field athlete Chelsea James, who failed to make it out of the early rounds of their respective events.

St Clair, running out of lane six in the sixth heat, crossed in 48.39 to place seventh and 32nd overall while King finished 38th of the 39 runners, clocking 50.06 to place sixth in the fourth heat in the men's 400m race.

James was way off her season's best (14.85) in the qualification round of the women's shot put, measuring a distance of 13.72 to place 21st overall in an event where only the 12 best moves on to the final round. Later on, Germany's Alina Kenzel copped the gold with a meet record of 17.58 while Jiayuan Song of China won silver with a personal best of 16.36 and American Alyssa Wilson bronze with a 16.33 effort.

Sprinter Akanni Hislop will be back on the track today, aiming for a better result in the men's 200m. On the opening day of the six-day meet, Tuesday, Hislop failed to advance out of the 100 metres preliminary rounds. Running out of lane two in the opening heat, he clocked 10.88 seconds, well below his season's best of 10.49, to finish fifth, which placed him 32nd overall.

In the 200m heats, Hislop will compete in lane nine in heat three of five at 5.44 am (TT time). The first four and the next fastest four go through to the semifinals the following day.

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