Strong display expected at University Games

André Lowe

Senior Staff Reporter

Jamaica has named a solid 11-member team to the 26th International University Sports Federation (FISA) 2011 Universiade Summer Games, in Shenzhen, China, August 12-23.

The games - contested only by university students, is considered a major fixture on the international track and field calendar with some 10,000 athletes representing 175 countries in 15 sporting disciplines.

Chef-de-mission and president of the Jamaica Intercollegiate Sports Association, Anthony Davis, underlined the importance of the Games to the continued success of Jamaican athletics.

Jamaica has been sending teams to the FISA 2011 Universiade Summer Games since 1977 and Davis, while not keen to put an exact number out there, is expecting this year's team to do well.

"It is possible that we can come back with at least five or six medals, I don't want to say which colour medals as I am not really one for predictions, but based on their form and season's best, we should do very well in China," said Davis. "It's a very high level of competition, so we know that it will not be a walkover for us at all."

"We selected the highest-placed student athletes at the recent national trials, and we also looked at the season's bests and saw if those were in medal standing, so that is how the team was selected. So for everyone that's going, if they reproduce their season's best, the worst that can happen is that they should make the final," Davis explained.

"These games mean a whole lot for us here and all across the entire world, and that's is why we are pushing it because if we are to have continued success at the international senior level, we need to have a strong collegiate system so that the high-school athletes can have a strong system to look forward to here," said Davis.

Presentation

The University of Technology (UTech) director of sports will also be making a presentation during the pre-championships conference on the successes of UTech's track and field programme and how they were able to achieve the results they have over the years, while himself and general secretary of JISA, Moyann Simpson, will be attending the FISU voting congress while in China.

National 100m hurdles champion, Indira Spence, heads the female team which also includes 2009 IAAF World Championships in Athletics 200m finalist Anneisha McLaughlin, Carrie Russell and Shermaine Williams, the NCAA Division II 60m hurdles record holder.

On the male team, the likes of Jacques Harvey, Rasheed Dwyer and Hansle Parchment are expected to feature prominently for the Jamaicans.

The team will begin its departure at 6:55 p.m. on Monday but there have been a few nervous moments as Davis and his fellow administrators grappled with difficulties to meet their $11-million budget.

"We had a shortfall particularly for two athletes, and we have been trying to see how best we could come up with the funds so that we didn't have to leave anybody behind," said Davis before explaining that he has since received support from Virgin Atlantic Airlines, the Sports Development Foundation and Jamaica National Building Society.

The team is as follows:

Women: Indira Spence Adam, State University (100mH, 4x100m), Anneisha Mclaughlin UTech, Jamaica (200m, 4x100m), Carrie Russell UTech, Jamaica (100m, 4x100m), Anastasia Leroy G.C. Foster College (400m, 4x100m), Shermaine Williams John. C. Smith University (100mH, 4x100m),

Men: Peter Matthews UTech, Jamaica (400m), Odayne Richards UTech, Jamaica (SP, Discus), Jason Young UWI, Mona (100m, 200m, 4x100m), Jowayne Hibbert UWI Mona (800m), Jacques Harvey UTech, Jamaica (100m, 4x100m), Hansle Parchment UWI, Mona (110H, 4x100m), Rasheed Dwyer G.C. Foster College (200m, 4x100m), Officials: Anthony Davis (Chef De Mission), Rashid Hall (Team Manager), Moyann Simpson (Secretary), Paul Francis (Head Coach), Dudley Powell (Asst Coach), Kerry Lee Ricketts (Massage Therapist), Maureen Campbell (Team Physical Therapist).