TT athletes primed for medals

Trinidad and Tobago’s athletes, headed by new national sprint champions Jacey Harper and Fana Ashby, are primed for medals at the Pan-American Games. And the majority of the 19-member senior team leave today for the Dominican Republic where they are expected to compete with the Western Hemisphere’s best athletic talent.

Harper and Niconnor Alexander will bid for honours in the 100 metres dash while Ashby, the newly crowned Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games sprint queen Fana Ashby will race in the 100 and 200 metres. The biggest surprise is that the country’s three senior professional sprinters Darrel Brown, Ato Boldon and Marc Burns will not be attempting to bring honour and glory to country in the individual sprint races because of contractual arrangements made by their managers at International Grand Prix races in Europe. They are down to race in the 4x100 metres relay alongside Harper and Alexander. World and Olympics bronze medallist Boldon as well as hammer specialist Candice Scott, shot putter Cleopatra Borel and female sprinter Keenan Gibson are US-based athletes and they will travel directly to Santo Domingo and link-up with the team. World junior champion and sprint sensation Darrel Brown and his Auburn University schoolmate Marc Burns will travel on Monday.

Nadine Hamid, head coach, is very confident that this team has the potential to win medals at the quadrennial Games. “This is the best quality team that we are sending to a Pan-American Games. I have a lot of confidence in them based on their performances in regional meets for the year. Once they remain fit and healthy and stay focused on their specialty, I am sure that they will get among those who will collect medals at the Games,” Hamid said. She, like many others, is disappointed that top sprinters Brown, Boldon and Burns are not available to compete in the individual races. “These athletes are professional athletes and both Brown and Burns were scheduled to race in Europe and would not arrive in time for the heats of the individual 100 metres. They will join the team on Monday and this will allow them to compete in the flat races. We are glad that they would still be available to race in the 4x100 metres relay. We are confident that they will do well in the relay.”

The team’s senior coach did not want to comment on how many medals she envisages that her team could win. “We have quality athletes in the team and they are showing very good form. I usually don’t like to single out any particular athlete to win but I am hoping that they will be positive and fight very hard to get among the medals. “We have high hopes of this team medalling and I would not call a figure,” Hamid said. Borrel picked up silver at the CAC and she should be vying for top honours while Scott should also show her class in the hammer event. Half-miler Sheridan Kirk, who won the CAC gold in the 800 metres, should also fancy his chances. The full squad comprises 11 male and eight female athletes while Gunness Persad is the assistant coach and Carlene Haynes the managress. NAAA’s senior vice-president George Commissiong is the head of the technical delegation and will also serve as assistant manager.

The TT Pan-Am Games Athletics team : Niconnor Alexander (100, 4x100 relay); Damion Barry (400, 4x400 relay); Ato Boldon (4x100 relay); Darrel Brown (4x100 relay); Marc Burns (4x100 relay); Cleavon Dillon (long jump, 4x100 relay); Jacey Harper (100, 4x100 relay); Jamil James (4x400 relay); Sheridan Kirk (800, 4x400 relay); Julien Raeburn (200, 4x400) and Dave Stoute (shot put)- Male; Fana Ashby (100, 200, 4x100 relay); KellyAnn Baptiste (100, 4x100 relay); Cleopatra Borrel (shot put); Melisa DeLeon (800); Keenan Gibson (200, 4x100 relay), Wanda Huston (4x100 relay); Adia McKinnon (400, 4x400 relay) and Candice Scott (hammer). Carlene Haynes (manager), George Commissiong (Head of Technical Delegation & asst. manager); Nadine Hamid (head coach) and Gunness Persad (assistant coach).