Phillips World Juniors qualification historic

KINGSTON, Jamaica (CMC):

Denzel Phillips wrote his name in St Lucia’s history books when he became the first athlete from his country to qualify for the World Athletics Under-20 Championships in the discus event.

Competing on Saturday at the King of the Ring meet at Excelsior High School, the 18-year-old Phillips, a student at Jamaica College, threw the discus a personal best 56.78 metres to cop gold among Under-20 boys.

It significantly bettered his previous personal best of 52.53 metres, which he registered at last year’s Jamaica Athletics Association’s CARIFTA trials.

Phillips is now the first St Lucian ever to qualify for the World Junior Championships in his event. As of February 16, he is second on the World Athletics’ list, behind only Jamaica’s Joseph Salmon.

Phillips, who trains with coach, Rajive Ford, will try to become the first St Lucian to win an Under-20 discus medal at the CARIFTA Games in Grenada this Easter.

He will also be making travel plans for Oregon in the US, where he will line up against some of the world’s best junior throwers from August 5 to 9.