media_artricles :: 2018

Last medal chance rests with relay team

Any chance of T&T winning a medal at the IAAF World Under-20 Championships lies on the performance of the Men's 4x100 metres relay team today.

Yesterday at the Ratina Stadium in Tampere, Finland, the local quartet of Keon Benjamin, Carlon Hosten, David Pierce and Tyrell Edwards, running in that order, ran a season's best 39.67 seconds to place third in heat three and qualified for the final.

Sprints coach Kelvin Nancoo was pleased with the team's showing and expects the national youth team to do well in the medal race today after advancing with the fourth fastest time.

"It is tough but we were excellent today (yesterday)," said Nancoo. "We now have to regroup and get set to run for T&T tomorrow (today). Once we execute well, we can medal."

T&T finished behind Japan, which ran a season's best 39.18, and the USA, which also qualified with a season's best 39.46. Four of the other finalist's also-ran season's bests including Italy (39.75), Czech Republic (39.91) and Spain (39.99). Filling the other lanes are Germany, which clocked a world-leading U-20 time of 39.13, to be the fastest qualifier and Jamaica with a 39.68-clocking.

In today's medal race at 9.40 am, the final event on the penultimate day of the Championships, T&T will line in lane two.

Earlier, Iantha Wright reached the semifinal round of the women's 200m events but her time of 24.41 in the first heat for fourth place, was not quick enough to progress to the final. It was a slower time to her first round run of 24.16 when Wright placed sixth in heat one.

Akilah Lewis was also to line up in the event but unfortunately, she did not compete.

Over on the field yesterday, Tyriq Horsford placed 11th in group B of the qualifying round of the men's javelin throw, to finish 21st overall with his best-measuring 64.90m, not good enough to move on to today's final round.

The four-time Carifta champion second was his best after opening up with 61.44m and his third and final reached 62.35m.

On Thursday, Lewis and Jenea Spinks made it to the semifinals of the women's 100m on Thursday but did not advance. Lewis, running in the semi-final heat two, finished fourth in 11.65 and Spinks, in the third and final semi-final heat, was third in 11.62.

Later, Jamaican sprint star Briana Williams, who is coached former T&T sprinter Ato Boldon won gold in 11.16, ahead of American Twanisha Terry in 11.19 and Kristal Awuah of Great Britain in 11.37.

Also on that day in the first round of the men's 200m, Timothy Frederick placed fifth in heat one in 21.30 seconds move on to the semi-final round, as one of the fastest 'losers' while Ako Hislop finished seventh in the third heat, crossing in 21.91.

Later on the third day of the junior track and field meet, Frederick's placed seventh in the second of three heats in 21.48 in the semi-finals, failing to progress to the medal race.

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