Track stars bow into action

Jermaine Lannaman, Gleaner Writer

Jamaica's track and field athletes will be seeking to add some life to the team's showing, when they sprint into action today at the first ever Youth Olympic Games, currently under way in Singapore.

To be led by Manchester High's 400m runner Lennox Williams, Holmwood Technical long jumper Janieve Russell and Calabar High's discus thrower, Frederic Dacres, the athletes will be aiming to better the performances of badminton player Dennis Coke and swimmer Kendese Nangle, who both failed to progress beyond the first round on the opening day of the Games.

Final preliminary round

Coke, who along with Nangle and fellow swimmer Brian Forte are the only non-track and field Jamaicans competing at the Games, lost his final preliminary round match to France's Lucas Claerbout in straight sets, 21-6, 21-6, in his third and final preliminary round Pool C match yesterday.

This meant that he ended his sojourn at the Games with a 0-3 record after going down to Laotian Phetphanom Keophiachan (21-16, 21-11) and Indian Haseen Sunil Kumar Prannoy (21-9, 21-10) on Sunday.

Nangle, in the meanwhile, finished fifth in the first round heats of the girls 100m backstroke.

Fifteen year-old Williams, who will compete in heat four and run out of lane six, will be seeking a repeat of his gold medal exploits at last month's Central America and Caribbean (CAC) Junior Track and Field Championship in Puerto Rico, where he won the boys Under-17 400m in a personal best 47.94 seconds.

The sixteen year-old Russell, a member of Jamaica's bronze medal-winning 4x400m team at this year's World Junior Athletics Championship, will be the 10th of 15 first-round competitors in the girls long jump, and will be hoping to better her personal best of 6.20 metres.

Season best

As it relates to sixteen year-old Dacres, he will be seeking to add to his CAC Juniors Under-17 silver medal, which was achieved in a season and personal best throw of 52.99 metres, when he lines up in the first round of the boys discus.

Other athletes who will be competing on the day include Stefan Fennell in the boys 110m hurdles, Olivia James in the girls 400m, Sasha-Gaye Marston in the girls discus and Megan Simmonds in the girls 100m hurdles.

Forte, who is slated to compete in the boys 50m and 100m freestyle, will participate in the former today, and the latter on Thursday.

Team leader, Odane Skeen, will headline the team's participation on the track tomorrow when he competes in the heats of the boys 100m preliminaries.