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WYC: a cradle for Jamaican champions
Published: Tuesday | July 5, 2011
Bolt
LILLE, France:
From Campbell-Brown to Usain Bolt, the IAAF World Youth Championships (WYC) has served over the years as a stage of introduction for some of Jamaica's most successful international athletics stars.
That, in itself, is a point of motivation for the 21 athletes that are here for the 2011 renewal of the championships.
Expected by the organisers to go down as the most successful WYC in history, Jamaican track and field pundits are also anticipating rich returns from the island's delegation here, with the team boasting an abundance of talent.
Campbell-Brown stole the headlines at the inaugural WYC in 1999, winning gold in the 100m and also the 4x100m relay, before going on to set the world alight with 200m gold medals at the 2004 and 2008 Olympic Games, 100m gold at the 2007 World Championships, 200m silver medals at the 2007 and 2009 World Championships, 100m silver at the 2005 World Championships and bronze over the same distance at the 2004 Olympic Games, to establish herself as one of the biggest names in the sport.
Bolt, who like Campbell-Brown dominated on the local high school scene before announcing himself at the international youth level, also tasted success at the WYC.
Bolt's first appearance at the world stage came at the 2001 WYC in Hungary, where he failed to qualify for the 200m finals despite lowering his personal-best to 21.73 seconds.
In 2002, however, he developed on his World Junior Championships performances in Kingston a year earlier to return to the WYC, this time in Quebec, Canada, where he established a new championship record, 20.40 seconds, in the event.
Opportunity to peek
The rest, as they say, is history, with Bolt going on to break world records in the 100m and 200m, picking up 2008 Olympic and 2009 World Championships gold medals in both events along the way.
Many believe that a few special ones are among the group here in Lille and this week's championships may well provide an opportunity to peek further into the potential of some of the island's most promising 16- and 17 year-olds.
With prospects almost certain to better the two-medal performance of the Jamaican team at the last WYC in Italy, the class of 2011 has been tipped to register the country's best-ever haul at these championships, which would require an eclipsing of the nine medals mined in Ostrava, Czech Republic.
Federick Dacres (discus), Odean Skeen (100m), Christiana Williams (100m), Shericka Jackson (200m), Chris-Ann Gordon, Olivia James (400m) and Chanice Porter (high jump) are strong medal candidates, with the likes of Odail Todd (200m, 100m), Megan Simmonds, Chrisdale McCarthy (100m hurdles) and Tyler Mason (110m hurdles) also expected to push for podium positions.
Dacres is expected to begin the medal hunt on tomorrow's opening day, when he is expected to line-up in the final of the discus final.
Jamaica's World Youth Champs Performance History
6th IAAF WYC: 2 medals - 1 silver and 1 bronze
5th IAAF WYC: 9 medals - 2 gold, 5 silver and 2 bronze
4th IAAF WYC: 3 medals - 1 silver and 2 bronze
3rd IAAF WYC: 4 medals - 2 gold and 2 silver
2nd IAAF WYC: 6 medals - 1 gold, 2 silver and 3 bronze
1st IAAF WYC: 8 medals - 3 gold, 3 silver and 2 bronze
http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/2...s/sports4.html
Published: Tuesday | July 5, 2011
Bolt
LILLE, France:
From Campbell-Brown to Usain Bolt, the IAAF World Youth Championships (WYC) has served over the years as a stage of introduction for some of Jamaica's most successful international athletics stars.
That, in itself, is a point of motivation for the 21 athletes that are here for the 2011 renewal of the championships.
Expected by the organisers to go down as the most successful WYC in history, Jamaican track and field pundits are also anticipating rich returns from the island's delegation here, with the team boasting an abundance of talent.
Campbell-Brown stole the headlines at the inaugural WYC in 1999, winning gold in the 100m and also the 4x100m relay, before going on to set the world alight with 200m gold medals at the 2004 and 2008 Olympic Games, 100m gold at the 2007 World Championships, 200m silver medals at the 2007 and 2009 World Championships, 100m silver at the 2005 World Championships and bronze over the same distance at the 2004 Olympic Games, to establish herself as one of the biggest names in the sport.
Bolt, who like Campbell-Brown dominated on the local high school scene before announcing himself at the international youth level, also tasted success at the WYC.
Bolt's first appearance at the world stage came at the 2001 WYC in Hungary, where he failed to qualify for the 200m finals despite lowering his personal-best to 21.73 seconds.
In 2002, however, he developed on his World Junior Championships performances in Kingston a year earlier to return to the WYC, this time in Quebec, Canada, where he established a new championship record, 20.40 seconds, in the event.
Opportunity to peek
The rest, as they say, is history, with Bolt going on to break world records in the 100m and 200m, picking up 2008 Olympic and 2009 World Championships gold medals in both events along the way.
Many believe that a few special ones are among the group here in Lille and this week's championships may well provide an opportunity to peek further into the potential of some of the island's most promising 16- and 17 year-olds.
With prospects almost certain to better the two-medal performance of the Jamaican team at the last WYC in Italy, the class of 2011 has been tipped to register the country's best-ever haul at these championships, which would require an eclipsing of the nine medals mined in Ostrava, Czech Republic.
Federick Dacres (discus), Odean Skeen (100m), Christiana Williams (100m), Shericka Jackson (200m), Chris-Ann Gordon, Olivia James (400m) and Chanice Porter (high jump) are strong medal candidates, with the likes of Odail Todd (200m, 100m), Megan Simmonds, Chrisdale McCarthy (100m hurdles) and Tyler Mason (110m hurdles) also expected to push for podium positions.
Dacres is expected to begin the medal hunt on tomorrow's opening day, when he is expected to line-up in the final of the discus final.
Jamaica's World Youth Champs Performance History
6th IAAF WYC: 2 medals - 1 silver and 1 bronze
5th IAAF WYC: 9 medals - 2 gold, 5 silver and 2 bronze
4th IAAF WYC: 3 medals - 1 silver and 2 bronze
3rd IAAF WYC: 4 medals - 2 gold and 2 silver
2nd IAAF WYC: 6 medals - 1 gold, 2 silver and 3 bronze
1st IAAF WYC: 8 medals - 3 gold, 3 silver and 2 bronze
http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/2...s/sports4.html