TT women in record 4x100m run

THE NATIONAL women’s 4x100 metre relay team of Jurlene Francis, Wanda Hutson, Monique Cabral and Kelly-Ann Baptiste won their semi-final heat yesterday, in a new local record time of 44.29 seconds, at the IAAF World Junior Track and Field Championships in Grosseto, Italy. In today’s 4x100 final, the quartet (drawn in lane four) will be vying for Trinidad and Tobago’s second medal following Jamil James’ bronze in the men’s 200m.

Competing out of lane five in heat two of the semis, the TT women clocked the third fastest time amongst the finalists, which includes the United States (whose Games’ record time of 44 seconds flat lasted a few minutes), France (who erased the American’s time with a 43.85 clocking), Australia, Germany, Jamaica, Poland and hosts Italy. The TT foursome of James, Marcus Duncan, Stann Waithe and Renny Quow were sixth and last in heat three of the men’s 4x400m semis in a season’s best time of three minutes 11.33 seconds.

Advancing to today’s final were Great Britain (who set a new Games’ record of 3:06.52 before it was wiped out by the Americans’ 3:05.28), Brazil, Germany, South Africa, Australia, Poland and Japan. National junior champ Annie Alexander finished a distant tenth in the women’s shot-put yesterday. Alexander improved her distances during her three attempts — 14.36, 15.15 and 15.21 metres respectively. Michelle Carter added the World Juniors gold to her Pan American title, stunning her rivals with a personal best 17.55 with the last throw of the competition, to snatch back a lead she had originally taken with her very first throw of 16.78. Russian Anna Avdeyeva was second with a personal best attempt of 17.13 while Christina Schwanitz of Germany took bronze with 16.41.