T&T 60-member contingent, 45 athletes and 15 officials, leave at 10.30 am today for Devonshire, Bermuda for the 41st CARIFTA Games set to begin tomorrow and runs until Monday. The young athletes are expected to have their first training session tomorrow the National Sports Centre, where the event is carded .
Carifta team manager Dexter Voisin stated that the weather in Bermuda is “a bit chilly, not as warm as in T&T” but he has assured that the athletes will not be affected. The team will be aiming to improve on its 29-medal haul in Montego Bay, Jamaica, last year. Keshorn Walcott, Machel Cedenio and Nicholas Landeau were among the gold medalists from last year and will be leading this country’s assault.
Walcott is looking to overhaul the existing Carifta record of 72.04 for Boys Under-20 javelin, which he accomplished at the last edition. Along with that, the Rebirth thrower will be aiming for his third straight Carifta boys title in the event. Cedenio and Landeau struck double gold last year. Cedenio took the boys U-17 200 metres and 400m titles while Landeau was victorious in the boys U-17 1,500m and 3,000m.
The field athletes will make up the bulk of this year’s team, 22 of the 45, while only six sprinters (excluding relay runners) have been named, compared the previous two years when we fielded 19 sprinters.
-Clayton Clarke
Source: www.guardian.co.tt