Reigning Olympic men’s javelin champion Keshorn Walcott has been named in a 29-member team by the National Association of Athletic Administrations (NAAA) to represent T&T at the 14th IAAF World Outdoor Championships carded for Moscow, Russia from August 10 to 18.
Walcott is one of 16 men selected in release issued by the NAAA yesterday. He is the lone male field athlete on the team, despite missing the National Championships at the Hasely Crawford Stadium on June 21 to 23 due to an ankle injury.
London Olympic double bronze medallist Lalonde Gordon will be stepping down to do the men’s 200m and will also be part of the 4x400m team. Other London medallists Richard Thompson (men’s 100m/4x100m), Keston Bledman (men’s 100m/4x100m), Emmanuel Calendar (men’s 4x100m), Deon Lendore (men’s 400m/4x400m) and Jarrin Solomon (men’s 400/4x400m) are also part of the squad.
Former World Championships men’s 400m bronze medallist Renny Quow is also included for the men’s 4x400m with 2010 World Junior Champion Jehue Gordon listed to run the men’s 400m hurdles. Gordon holds the second fastest time in the world of 48.00 seconds set in winning at the Monaco Diamond League leg on July 19.
Leading the women’s line up will be reigning World Championships 100m bronze medallist Kelly-Ann Baptiste. The 26-year-old is currently the top female sprinter in the world after she sped to national record time of 10.83 in winning her seventh national title. Baptiste will contest the 100m, 200m and will lead the women’s 4x100m. Pan American and Commonwealth multiple medallist Cleopatra Borel got the nod for her fifth World Championships to contest the shot put. Olympic finalists Semoy Hackett (200m/4x100m), Kai Selvon (100m/200m/4x100m/4x400m), Michelle Lee Ahye (100m/200m/4x100m) and World Championships finalist Reyare Thomas ( 4x100m) are among the 13 women selected.
Among those making their World Championships debut will be the Carifta boys under 20 400m champion Machel Cedenio. The 17-year-old is part of the men’s 4x400m relay pool. Fellow juniors Ayodelle Taffe (men’s 4x100m) and Dominique Williams (women’s 4x400m) have also been included. This year’s NCAA Division One champion Wayne Davis 11 earned his first World Champs selection and will be joined by national record holder Mikel Thomas to contest the men’s 110m hurdles.
For the first time in history at the World Championships/Olympic level Trinidad and Tobago will be fielding four relay teams as the women’s 4x400m team will make their debut at the global stage. The quartet of Ramona Modeste, Shawna Fermin, Alena Brooks, and Sparkle Mc Knight surpassed the Moscow qualifying mark of 3:33.00 when they combined to clock 3:30.64 (national record) in winning the Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Senior title in Mexico on July 7. The 29-member team will leave on July 25 for a ten day training camp in Finland before heading over the Russia. The contingent is set to return to T&T on August 20.
NAAA President Ephriam Serrette, along with General Secretary and North America, Central America and Caribbean (NACAC) Committee member Allan Baboolal will attend the IAAF Congress set for August 4 to 6, just before the start of the Championships. Assistant Secretary Dexter Voisin has been named as manager for the fifth straight World Championships.
TEAM
Men
- 100m-Keston Bledman (Simplex), Richard Thompson (Rebirth), Rondell Sorillo (La Brea)
- 200m-Lalonde Gordon (Tigers), Kyle Greaux (Abilene Wildcats)
- 400m-Deon Lendore (Abilene Wildcats), Jarrin Solomon (Memphis Pioneers)
- 110m Hurdles -Mikel Thomas (Rebirth), Wayne Davis 11 (Unattached)
- 400m Hurdles-Jehue Gordon (Memphis Pioneers)
- Javelin-Keshorn Walcott (Rebirth)
- 4x100m-Bledman, Thompson, Sorillo, Emmanuel Calendar (Memphis Pioneers), Jamol James (Memphis Pioneers), Ayodelle Taffe (Abilene Wildcats)
- 4x4000m-Lendore, Solomon, L Gordon, Renny (Quow (Zenith), Machel Cedenio (Simplex)
Women
- 100m-Kelly-Ann Baptiste (Zenith), Michelle-Lee Ahye (Rebirth), Kai Selvon (Air Bon Sonics)
- 200m-Baptiste, Ahye, Selvon, Semoy Hackett (Zenith)
- 400m hurdles-Sparkle McKnight (Neon Trackers)
- 100m Hurdles-Aleesha Barber (Rebirth)
- Shot Put-Cleopatra Borel (Unattached)
- 4x100m-Baptiste, Ahye, Selvon, Hackett, Kamaria Durant (Simplex), Reyare Thomas (Neon Trackers)
- 4x400m-Selvon, McKnight, Alena Brooks (Memphis Pioneers), Shawna Fermin (Memphis Pioneers), Dominique Williams (Neon Trackers), Ramona Modeste (Neon Trackers).
Officials
Manager-Dexter Voisin
Coaches-Ismael Lopez-Mastrapa (Throws), Dr. Ian Hypolite (Sprints/Hurdles), Gunness Persad (Sprints-Men’s 4x100m), Charles Joseph (Sprints-Men’s 4x400m), Edwin Skinner (Sprints-Women’s 4x100m), Gerard Franklyn (Sprints-Women’s 4x400m).
Medical-Dr Anil Gopeesingh
Massage Therapist-Ian Sharpe, Fitzherbert Alleyne
Physiotherapist-Dr Verne Alleyne