Anthony Foster, Freelance Writer
LaToya Greaves ... aiming for a medal today. - FILE
LATOYA GREAVES and Alain Bailey lead 14 Jamaicans who will be chasing medals on today's opening day of the 2005 Pan American Junior Championships in Windsor, Canada.
Gold medal favourites Greaves and Bailey will contest the 100m hurdles and long jump for girls and boys respectively.
Sprint hurdlers Greaves and Natasha Ruddock will be the first two Jamaicans in action on day one.
They will contest the first round (semi-finals) of the girls' 100m hurdles ahead of the afternoon's final.
Greaves, with her 13.60 season best, will start favourite whereas Ruddock (14.05), who left the island determined and hopes to return with a medal, is ranked seventh.
They are expected to face the United States' duo of Kira Robinson (13.71) and Talia Stewart (13.89) along with Canadian Genevieve Thibault (13.71).
Bailey and Jermaine Jackson will line-up in the boys' long jump final. Bailey (7.88m) is the favourite for this event.
Meanwhile, Jamaica's other hopeful for a medal on day one, sprinter Schillonie Calvert, a bronze medallist at the World Youth championships, should have what it takes to win a medal.
Jamaica's other entry, Rose-Marie White (11.89), is 14th ranked.
Although Calvert (11.40) is fourth ranked and should easily get into the afternoon's final where the fireworks are expected between her and Trinidad and Tobago's Carifta Games champion Kelly-Ann Baptiste (11.17), American Cleo Tyson (11.25) and Brazilian Franciela Das Grac Krasucki (11.38).
In the boys' 100m event, Rascive Grant (10.69) and Jesse Saunders (10.76) will start in the quarter-finals with the United States' James Samuels (10.33), Brazilian Rafael Ribeiro Da Silva (10.35) and Canadian Justyn Warner (10.38).
Markino Buckley (14.22) and Sheldon Wilkinson (14.47) will be looking towards the boys' 110m hurdles final but will have to get past a semi-final round that includes favourite Dayron Robles Planes of Cuba (13.47), Brazilian Eder Antonio De Souza (13.79) and American Dominic Berger (13.87).
The top eight in the girls' 400m should also be decided tomorrow with Jamaica's Sonita Sutherland, a bronze medallist at the last championships in Barbados, having legitimate medal claims.
Although Sutherland (52.10) is third on the rankings' list, another keen battle is expected with American Natasha Hastings (51.34). Hastings (52.04, personal best) defeated Sutherland (52.41) at last year's World Junior Championships. Jamaica's Anastasia Le-Roy will have to improve on her personal best 52.92.
The boys' duo of Jason Edwards (45.56) and Leford Green (46.48) are third and seventh respectively and should easily advance to tomorrow's 400m final.
Arusha McKenzie, Jodi-Ann Richards, Theon O'Connor and Stafford McFarlane will be in the 800m girls' and boys' semi-finals respectively.
Natoya Goule will also contest the 3000m final for girls and Andre Drummond the 5000m final for boys.
Camoi Hood and Hickel Woolery are also down for early action in the boys' shot put.
The girls' discus final is also on today and Jamaica will be represented by Shannika Johnson (40.68m) and Phelicia Reynolds (37.93). Cuban Lisandra Rodriguez Alvarez (55.54) is the favourite in that event.
