Walcott named in 29-member T&T team
PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC) — Reigning Olympic men’s javelin champion Keshorn Walcott will lead a 29-member Trinidad and Tobago team at the 14th IAAF World Outdoor Championships carded for Moscow, Russia, from August 10 to 18.?
Walcott, one of 16 men selected, is the only male field athlete on the team, despite missing last month’s National Championships 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 his victory at the Monaco Diamond League leg last week.?
Leading the women’s line-up will be reigning World Championships 100m bronze medallist Kelly-Ann Baptiste, currently the top female sprinter in the world after racing to national record time of 10.83 in winning her seventh national title.?
Baptiste, 26, will contest the 100m, 200m and will lead the women’s 4x100m.
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 McKnight 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 last month.?
The 29-member team is due to leave on Thursday for a 10-day training camp in Finland before heading over to Russia.?
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); 4x400m-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.