Anthony Foster, Freelance Writer
Jamaica's Schillonie Calvert (left) on her way to winning the Under-20 girls' 100m final ahead of Sheniqua Ferguson (second left) of The Bahamas, and the Puerto Rican pair of Arianex Riveira and Osiris Morales (right) at the Centrel American and Caribbean Junior Championships at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Trinidad and Tobago, on Saturday. Calvert, who won that event in 11.03 seconds, later suffered a thigh strain in the 200m final (that she won nontheless), which has cast doubts over her participation in next month's World Junior Championships in Beijing, China. - CONTRIBUTED
WORLD YOUTH 100m bronze medallist, Schillonie Calvert, one of Jamaica's brightest medal prospects, is doubtful for next month's World Junior Championships which will be held in Beijing, China, from the 15-20th.
Calvert suffered a slight strain during her record-breaking run in Sunday's 200m Under-20 final at the XVII Central America and Caribbean Track and Field Championships in Trinidad and Tobago.
The third fastest junior over the 100m this season with an 11.21-second clocking, Calvert, was well on her way to a sub-23 seconds run but hurt her hamstring in the home straight during the CAC Juniors 200m final.
Yesterday, her coach, Maurice Wilson, classified the island's best junior female sprinter as "touch and go" for the World Juniors.
Wilson said a visit to Dr. Warren Blake yesterday confirmed what early assessments in Trinidad and Tobago revealed, that Calvert had suffered a strain to her left hamstring.
TWO WEEKS BREAK
"She will be out of training for two weeks," Wilson said.
And with the World Junior scheduled for August 15-20, Wilson said: "Right now it is touch and go."
Meanwhile, Josef Robertson, another of the nation's leading hopes for a medal, is said to be OK. He had stopped after the first hurdle when he felt cramps in the 400m hurdles final on Saturday.
According to the IAAF website, Robertson is ranked second in the event with his national junior record run of 50.24, next to Chris Carter of United States (49.19).
Under-17 100m bronze medallist Danielle Jeffrey, Andre Collins, Dwight Robinson, Shana-Gaye Tracey and Under-17 high jump champion Meisha-Gaye DaCosta also picked up injuries over the weekend.
Meanwhile, Olympian John Mair, head coach of Jamaica's team, was very pleased with the team's performance at the Junior CAC Championships.
"I am more than satisfied," Mair said, minutes before the team departed the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Port of Spain on Sunday night.
Jamaica won 59 medals - 32, gold, 16 silver, 11 bronze - bettering their medal haul from the previous championships, 57 medals (27G, 13S, 19B) in Mexico.
The Jamaicans finished ahead of Mexico 42 (14G, 16S, 12B); Trinidad & Tobago 39 (10G, 17S, 12); Barbados 20 (8G, 4S, 8G) and Puerto Rico 23 (7G, 6S, 10B).
Mair praised the effort of the management team and the athletes for their success.
"I got a staff that worked well and a set of athletes who were positive and went out on the right footing," he said.
"There were outstanding performances from the athletes ... a few had personal bests, so all and all it was good," he explained.
