DEFENDING CHAMPIONS Jamaica depart the island this afternoon for the Central American and Caribbean Junior Track and Field Championships in Trinidad and Tobago.
The team of 70 athletes and 10 officials will depart on a Air Jamaica charter at 6:30 p.m. en route to the twin island republic for the three-day championships which run off at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Port-of-Spain on Friday.
Top athletes Sonita Sutherland and Sherene Pinnock, silver and bronze medallists from the 2004 World Junior Championships, are down to compete at their penultimate junior event, while Alain Bailey, who will miss the World Junior Championships because of school commitments, will want to close his junior career on a high.
Bailey has to report to school on August 9 for orientation, which is mandatory for international students (freshmen). Bailey has indicated education comes first, despite being disappointed he will miss the World Junior Championships.
At the last championships held in Mexico, Jamaica finished with 57 medals (27G, 13S, 19B) to beat Mexico 33 (12G, 14S, 7B); Cuba 12 (9G, 3S) and Trinidad and Tobago 13 (5G, 6S, 2B).
THE SQUAD UNDER-17
Girls - Antionique Campbell, Rosemarie Carty, Misha-Gaye DaCosta, Yushani Durrant, Natoya Goule, Danielle Jeffery, Sanchia Lee, Latoya McDermott, Deneisha Morris, Carrie Russell, Shana-Gaye Tracey, Shermaine Williams.
Boys - Nickel Ashmeade, Tarik Batchelor, Omar Bryan, Wesley Esson, Javon Hardware, Kimarley Henry, Horane Holgate, Damion Johnson, Dexter Lee, Ramone McKenzie, Akino Ming, Jermaine Myers, Danail Roberts, Dwight Robinson, Christopher Waugh, Donohue Williams.
UNDER-20
Girls - Vanessa Boyd, Taneisha Blair, Naffene Briscoe, Schillonie Calvert, Kittiany Clarke, Kimberly Laing, Anastasia Le-Roy, Neisha Morgan, Latanya Nation, Sherene Pinnock, Andrea Reid, Jodian Richards, Sonita Sutherland, Shantel Thompson, Kimberly Williams and Bobby-Gaye Wilkins.
Boys Alain Bailey, Oshane Bailey, Yohan Blake, Ramon Mitch, Raymond Brown, Andre Collins, Tarik Edwards, Jair Francis, Allodin Fothergill, Rowan Gooden, Nicholas Gordon, Gawain Gray, Cawayne Jervis, Lorenzo Johnson, Darion Lindsay, Robert Peddlar, Seon Powell, Julian Reid, Josef Robertson, Shariff Small, Edino Steel, Kerion Stewart, Triston Taylor, Andre Thomas, Lorenzo Wedderburn and Melvin Weller.
MANAGEMENT TEAM
Winston Ewart (manager), Fay Wright (assistant manager), Garth Case (assistant manager), Sr. Patrick Robertson (medical). John Mair (head coach), Dean Tomlin, Danny Hawthorne, Elton Coombs, David Riley and Claudius Wrong (coaches).
