media_artricles :: 2017

NO SUPPORT

Shattered Sparkle mulls retirement

The message is loud and clear. Some of Trinidad and Tobago's best athletes are hurting, and breaking point is fast approaching for the country's sporting ambassadors.

For Sparkle McKnight, the point of no return may already be here. For the second successive time, McKnight exited the IAAF World Championship women's 400 metres hurdles at the semi-final stage, the 25-year-old finishing eighth and last in heat one in 56.59 seconds at the London Stadium here in London, England, yesterday.

After the race, McKnight told the Express that not only her 2017 season, but possibly her entire career might be over.

"I may be locking it off for good. It's a big struggle.

"My heart breaks right now," she continued, with tears welling up in her eyes, "because I know I'm capable of making it straight to the final. I know I'm capable of so much things, but without the resources my competitors are so far ahead of me. It's really tough."

Following his first round elimination in the men's 110m hurdles on Sunday, Mikel Thomas said he was at career crossroads because of a lack of government support. Now, a shattered McKnight is contemplating her future as well.

"This year I had to go through so much, and I don't think I could put myself through that again. I want it for myself, but I don't have the support so this may be it. The only support I got this year was a little help from the TTOC (T&T Olympic Committee). If it wasn't for them, I wouldn't be home for trials. It's just a really sad thing.

"And it's not only me," she continued. "It's almost the entire Trinidad and Tobago team. We put it aside and came out here to compete, but nobody knows what goes on behind doors. We sit amongst ourselves and we talk, but it falls on deaf ears."

Those who have ears to hear, let them hear. If they do, and in turn offer much-needed support, careers could be saved.

"If not," said a forlorn McKnight, "I'm done."

Michelle-Lee Ahye's 200m campaign ended before it even started, the women's 100m finalist withdrawing from the half-lap event. T&T manager Dexter Voisin told the Express that Ahye has virus symptoms and will be monitored ahead of Saturday's 4x100m relay.

Semoy Hackett had a close call in the seventh and final women's 200m first round heat. The T&T sprinter looked to be putting herself into a good position on the straight, but could not sustain the effort. She did enough, however, to hold on to third spot and automatic qualification for tomorrow's semis.

Hackett got to the line in 23.50 seconds, just one-hundredth of a second faster than fourth-placed Cornelia Halbheer of Switzerland. Halbheer's clocking was not good enough for a "fastest loser" berth in the semi-final round.

In the semis, Hackett will run in heat two against Bahamian Shaunae Miller-Uibo and American Kimberlyn Duncan.

World Champs debutante Kayelle Clarke exited the 200m after finishing sixth in heat four in 23.75 seconds.

"The experience was good," the 21-year-old T&T sprinter told the Express, "the atmosphere was great. I gave it my all, but it wasn't good enough. I'm going back to the drawing board to prepare for the years ahead."

Jereem Richards is also focused on the future…the immediate future. The University of Alabama student will be on the track at 4.04 this afternoon (T&T time) in the second men's 200m semi-final heat. Richards has been drawn in lane five, and will do battle with Jamaica's 2012 Olympic silver medallist Yohan Blake, in seven.

Richards and Blake are joint-sixth on the 2017 world performance list at 19.97 seconds. Richards, though, looked sharper in Monday's opening round, the T&T sprinter winning heat two in 20.05 to lead all qualifiers into the semis. Blake clocked 20.39 in topping heat one.

Kyle Greaux will also fly the Red, White and Black in the men's half-lap semis. Second in heat five in 20.48 seconds on Monday, the T&T athlete needs to step up his game to be in contention for a championship race berth. In the 3.55pm opening heat, Greaux will run in lane six, between sub-20 sprinters Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake of Great Britain, in five, and Isiah Young of the United States, in seven.

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