World leaders

With the recently concluded Junior Pan Am Championships closing the curtains on the junior track and field season, several Jamaicans have found themselves ranked at the top of their respective events, or at least in the top five.

Among the world leaders are former Edwin Allen High athlete Ristananna Tracey, former Calabar High thrower Traves Smikle and the girl's 4x400 metres relay quartet, who performed at the Carifta Games in April.

Tracey has been outstanding this season, shattering the national junior record at the National Senior Championships in the 400 metres hurdles with a time of 54.5, where she was second to Kaliese Spencer. In the process, she booked herself a ticket to the Daegu World Championships, attaining the qualifying 'A' standard. She also ended the season ranked number four in the 400 metres, following a 51.99 seconds done at the All Commers meet in May.

Dominant in discus

Smikle has been dominant in the boys discus all season. At the Junior Pan Am Championships, he rose to the top of the junior list with a championship record of 66.68 metres for gold in the final. He is the first Jamaican at any level to be ranked number one in the world in a throwing event.

Following their scorching run of 3:31.47 to grab gold at the Carifta Games in Montego Bay, winning the girl's 4x400 metres relay, the quartet of Olivia James, Janieve Russell, Simoya Campbell and Chris-Ann Gordon have the fastest time this season for a junior team.

Gordon, the new Junior Pan Am champion in the girl's 400m, was second best in the 400 metres this season, where she clocked 51.62 seconds to win the Class Two event at Champs earlier this year.

Strangely enough, the athlete who is ranked ahead of her in the event, Diamond Dixon of the United States, with a world best of 51.55 seconds, was beaten by Gordon at the Miramar meet.

Second-best relay team

After their dominance all season in the 4x400 metres relay, where they have been unbeaten, the Vere Technical quartet of Yanique McNeil, Chantal Duncan, Olivia James and Shericka Jackson were the second-best team on the world list, following their 3:31.17 clocking at the Jamaica International Invitational meet in May.

There was one other performance ranked in the top three with two among the top four and one at number five. The 4x100 metres female relay team of Christania Williams, Deandra Whitehorne, Celia Walters and Shericka Jackson with their 44.09 seconds winning time, at the Carifta Games, was the third best time for juniors in the world.

Jazeel Murphy (10.27) in the boy's 100 metres and Kimberly Williamson's national junior record clearance of 1.88 metres, in the high jump, were at number four, while Rochelle Farquharson's 6.48 metres in the girl's long jump was number five on the top list.

- R.G.