TT athletes arrive in Hungary for world indoors

THE QUARTET of Cleopatra Borel (the 2002 WITCO “Sportswoman of the Year”), sprinters Niconnor Alexander, Ato Modibo, and manager/coach Wilton Jackson have arrived in Budapest, Hungary ahead of the 10th IAAF World Indoor Championships. The three-day event will run from tomorrow until Sunday. Alexander will participate in the men’s 60 metres while Modibo will feature in the 400m and Borel in her specialty — the shot-put.

The 60m heats, semi-finals and final, as well as the women shot put qualifiers and final are scheduled for tomorrow. But the 400m heats will be staged tomorrow with the “semis” and final being held on the following day. According to Ken Doldron, president of the National Amateur Athletic Association (NAAA), the quartet were expected to enter the Games Village in Budapest yesterday to prepare for tomorrow’s opening ceremony and respective events. Jackson, who is also the secretary of the NAAA, met the US-based trio in New York on Sunday and the group travelled to the European nation on board a Hungarian Airlines flight via Washington DC. Doldron revealed that the cost of airfare per athlete is US $12,000 but is quietly confident of success from the team during the three-day meet.