Baptiste gets bronze in World Junior final

TOBAGONIAN Kelly-Ann Baptiste collected the bronze medal in the girls’ 100m final last night as the third IAAF World Under-18 Track and Field Championships continued in Sherbrook, Canada. The 16-year-old nation-al junior champ, running in lane seven, crossed the finish line in 11.58 seconds, behind the Ameri-can duo of Jessica Onyepunuka, who registered a championship record time of 11.31, and Krystin Lacy, who ran 11.50. Fellow 16-year-old Trinidadian finalist Monique Cabral was eighth and last in 11.95, running in lane one. Baptiste clocked 11.94 to finish second in the first semi-final while Cabral advanced as one of the fastest losers, with a personal best time of 11.78 to finish third in the second semi. Jamil James also guaranteed a spot in the boys’ 400m final after he finished second in yesterday’s second semi-final in 47.60 seconds while CARIFTA champ Usain “Thunderbolt” Bolt of Jamaica failed to start in the first of three “semis.”

The 16-year-old James, who is the National Seniors bronze medallist, is drawn in lane six of today’s final. But Abigail David failed in her bid to qualify for today’s girls’ one-lap final. The 17-year-old was fifth in the first “semi” in a slow time of 56.48 seconds. Earlier yesterday, sprinter Marcus Duncan and national 800m junior princess Denele De Verteuil saw their gold medal hopes dashed in the heats. The 16-year-old Duncan was third in heat seven of the 100m in 11 seconds flat, failing to advance as one of the six fastest losers to today’s “semis” while the 17-year-old De Verteuil placed fifth in heat two of the 800m heats in two minutes 15.46 seconds. On Thursday night, national junior and CARIFTA gold medallist Rhonda Watkins ad-vanced to today’s final of the high jump in a personal best attempt of 1.78 metres. And Cory Gibbs qualified for tomorrow’s final of the boys’ high jump with a leap of two metres flat, equalling his personal best which he set en route to winning gold in the 2002 CARIFTA Championships in Nassau, Bahamas.