Jehue Gordon should have things all his own way in the men's 400 metres hurdles, at the IAAF World Junior Championships, in Moncton, Canada.
The Trinidad and Tobago athlete has the six fastest times in the world this year and looks a safe bet to return home next week with a gold medal draped around his neck. But head coach Dr Ian Hypolite, who is also Gordon's personal coach, does not want the 18-year-old saddled with the burden of expectation in Friday's championship race.
"I expect him to advance out of the first round, to get past the semi, make the final and do well. I think that has to be it. Nothing can be taken for granted. He basically has to go out there and get the job done."
Hypolite told the Express that bettering the 48.02 seconds world junior record—established way back in 1984 by American Danny Harris--cannot be Gordon's primary objective.
"I think it's important to win the event. If 48.02 comes now, then it comes."
T&T-born American Kerron Clement is the World Junior Championship record-holder at 48.51 seconds, a clocking he produced in winning the 2004 title in Grosseto, Italy.
Gordon, who finished fourth at the 2009 senior World Championships in 48.26, was one of five athletes who spoke at yesterday's IAAF/LOC (Local Organising Committee) press conference.
"According to the conditions the Championship record and also the world record could be in some sort of trouble."
Hypolite described the 19-member T&T team as "one of the better groups of athletes" to represent the country at the global under-20 meet.
"In fact, I think it's probably the best World Junior Track and Field team that Trinidad and Tobago has ever sent out, both by virtue of quality and quantity. We have quite a lot of youngsters who are performing quite well."
The head coach said that while he did not want to make any medal predictions, he expects success at the Championships.
"I always prefer to speak in terms of finalists. I can see that we will have a few finalists. I suspect that medals will come but I always like to measure success in terms of people advancing out of the preliminary rounds and definitely getting into the finals. I can see that happening.
"Quincy Wilson," Hypolite continued, "has been throwing particularly well. He is among the top ten in the world in his event. He is confident and poised to do well."
Wilson is sixth on the 2010 men's discus world junior performance list at 62.95 metres.
But while the rivals of Gordon and Wilson know what they are capable of, one of their teammates could be a dark horse in the race for men's 200m honours.
"Moriba Morain may in fact shock a lot of people.
"I think he's ready," the T&T head coach continued. "He hasn't put down the type of time that we know he can do, and probably just as well because all eyes are off him, and therefore all pressure's off him. I think he's also poised to do well."
Morain's personal best is 21.14 seconds, more than half a second slower than the 20.58 clocked by the fastest junior in the world this year, Japan's Shota Iizuka.
Hypolite also expects the men's 4x100m and men's and women's 4x400m teams to impress at the World Junior Championships.
Alena Brooks will be the first T&T athlete on show here in Moncton. She does battle in the opening round of the women's 800m.
Sparkle McKnight, Shawna Fermin, Sabian Cox and Shermund Allsop will also compete at the Stade Moncton 2010 Stadium during today's first session. McKnight and Fermin will run in the women's 400m first round, while Cox and Allsop face the starter in the men's 100m preliminaries.
In the second session, Ashlee Smith throws in women's discus qualifying, and Deon Lendore and Kishorn Dempster run in the opening round of the men's 400m.
