JAAA selects strong squad for NACAC Championships

The Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA) has selected a strong contingent for the upcoming North American, Central American and Caribbean Athletic Association (NACAC) U18 and U23 Athletics Championships.

Team Jamaica will be spearheaded by reigning women’s 200m national champion Alana Reid as well as the rising teenage sprint sensation Kai Kelly.

Kelly, who represents Jamaica College, will be one of the standout names in Jamaica’s U18 contingent for the NACAC Championships and he will line up in the boys' 100m and the 4x100m relay.

Kelly will not be the only standout performer for Jamaica as Kingston College’s Jason Pitter will line up in the 400m as well as the 4x400m.

Pitter, the first ever Class Two Champs athlete to go below 46 seconds in the 400m, is the joint-second fastest U18 athlete in the world this year and stands as the overwhelming favourite to take home the title.

St Jago’s Marquis Page, who broke the boys' Class Two 110m hurdles record at the ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys and Girls' Championships (Champs) earlier this year in a time of 12.98 seconds, will also be one to watch when he lines up in the 110m hurdles alongside compatriot Brandon Bennett.

On the girls’ side, Jamaica will look to reigning U18 national champions Malayia Duncan and Azaria Harris to represent well in the 100m and 200m events respectively.

Edwin Allen’s standout sprint hurdler Tashana Godfrey will enter the championships with high expectations and a hectic schedule.

Godfrey, the girls' Class Three 80m hurdles record holder with a time of 10.80, will compete in the 100m hurdles, the 4x100m relay as well as the mixed 4x100m relay event as well.

The multifaceted Zavien Bernard will also complete a hectic schedule of events as she is registered to compete in the high jump, long jump and triple jump events.

PROVEN WORLD-CLASS TALENTS

Jamaica’s U23 squad will be the envy of many as the team is chock-full of proven world-class talents in their respective events.

The women’s sprints will see Lavanya Williams and Sabrina Dockery line up in the 100m, while Williams will be joined by Reid in the 200m.

Both Williams and Dockery have both gone sub-11 this season with Williams holding a personal best of 10.95 to Dockery’s 10.92.

Reid, who is the national junior 100m record holder, will test her mettle in the half-lap event where she set a new personal best of 22.29 on her way to her first national title.

Kerrica Hill, the two-time world U20 100m hurdles champion, will enter the women’s 100 hurdles with high expectations, alongside teammate Alexis James who is a world U20 silver medallist.

Former St Jago High standout Jade-Ann Dawkins will be Jamaica’s sole competitor in the jumps as she will line up in both the long jump and triple jump events.

On the men’s side, where Jamaica lacks in quantity, they will make up in quality as the small contingent boasts several top names in the field.

Bouwahjgie Nkrumie, the first Jamaican junior athlete to dip below the 10-second barrier, will line up in the men’s 100m and the 4x100m relay.

Nkrumie holds a personal best of 9.99, and is not far off his best form with a season’s best of 10.13.

All eyes will be on Joseph Salmon in the men’s discus as the standout junior athlete will be Jamaica’s lone competitor in the field.

The University of Nebraska commit holds a personal best of 67.55 metres which is a national junior record, the U20 world leader and the eighth best throw in U20 discus history.

The team will be led by technical leader David Riley with the NACAC Championships set to run from July 10 to July 12 at the Una Nueva Historia Sports Complex Stadium in Mexico.

gregory.bryce@gleanerjm.com