National Champion Michelle-Lee Ahye celebrates after winning the NGC NAAATT National Open Championships Women 100m dash at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo last month.

Daniel Prentice

Double World Indoor champion Jereem Richards and Commonwealth Games women's 200 metres champion Michelle-Lee Ahye along with Leah Bertrand will be the first three T&T athletes in action on the second day of World Athletics Championships at the National Athletic Centre in Budapest, Hungary on Sunday.

From 4.25 am this morning, Richards, who has run a season-best of 44.54 and a new personal best he set as he raced to gold at the Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games in El Salvador on July 6 will face the starter in the third of six men's 400 metres heats from lane two against Ukraine's Oleksandr Pohorilko, Switzerland's Ricky Petrucciani, USA's Vernon Norwood who has a season-best of 44.39, Belgium's Dylan Borlee, Barbadian Jonathan Jones, Norway's Havard Bentdal Ingvaldsen, and Portugal's Joao Coelho.

The 31-year-old Ahye a former World Championship bronze medal winner, and eight-time finalist has run a season-best of 11.24 and gets on the track in the fourth of seven 100m women's heats at 6.31 am alongside Brazilian Vitoria Rosa, Nigerian Rosemary Chukwuma, Germany's Gina Luckenkemper, Democratic Republic of Congo's Natacha Ngoye Akamabi, an overall gold medal favourite Shericka Jackson of Jamaica, Cyprus Olivia Fotopoulou and Fiji's Kesala Boletakanakandavu.

Seven minutes earlier, Leah Bertrand, 21, will make her World Championship debut in lane three seven minutes earlier in heat three of the women's 100m from lane one against Ivory Coast's Murielle Ahoure-Demps, USA's Tamari Davis, Holland's N'Ketia Seedo, Belgium's Rami Rosius, Laos' Silna Pha Aphay, Poland's Ewa Swoboda, and Kuwait's Mudhawi Al Shammari.

Ahye reclaimed her sprint title at the National Championships with a time of 11.31 seconds, ahead of silver medallist Reyare Thomas of Abilene Wildcats (11.43) and bronze medallist Akilah Lewis of Concorde (11.52), who is also part of the national team in Budapest.

Ahye along with Leah Bertrand will compete in the women's 100m dash. The duo along with Thomas, Lewis and Taejha Badal (Memphis Pioneers) make up the women's 4x100m relay team.

The quintet of Richards, Ahye, Bertrand, Thomas, and Lewis are part of a 25-member T&T contingent which features 16 athletes - 11 men and five women.

Richards is also on the men's 4x400m relay with Asa Guevara (Abilene Wildcats), Shakeem Mc Kay (Abilene Wildcats), Renny Quow (Zenith Athletic Club) and Joshua St Clair (Abilene Wildcats).

Also included on the team is reigning 100m national champion Devin Augustine of Point Fortin New Jets (PFNJ), who is part of the sprint relay team.

The other members of the 4x100m team are the top three finishers in the 100m final, silver medallist Jerod Elcock (Abilene Wildcats), Revell Webster (Concorde), the bronze medallist and fourth-placed Omari Lewis (Concorde) as well as Judah Taylor (Abilene Wildcats).

T&T Team

Men

Javelin: Keshorn Walcott (Unattached)

400m: Jereem Richards (Abilene Wildcats)

4x100m relay: Devin Augustine (PFNJ), Jerod Elcock (Abilene Wildcats), Revell Webster Concorde, Omari Lewis (Concorde), Judah Taylor (Abilene Wildcats)

Men 4x400m relay: Jereem Richards, Asa Guevara (Abilene Wildcats), Shakeem Mc Kay (Abilene Wildcats), Renny Quow (Zenith Athletic Club), Joshua St Clair (Abilene Wildcats)

Women

100m: Leah Bertrand (Simplex), Michelle-Lee Ahye (Unattached)

4x100m relay: Leah Bertrand, Michelle-Lee Ahye, Reyare Thomas (Abilene Wildcats), Akilah Lewis (Concorde), Taejha Badal (Memphis Pioneers)

Officials

Dexter Voisin (manager), Keston Bledman (coach), Antonia Burton (coach), Charles Joseph (coach), Mastrapa Lopez (coach), Anyl Gopeesingh (Doctor), Dr Alban Merepeza (physiotherapist), Nicole Fuentes-Charles (sports therapist), Anthony Walcott (sports therapist).