The new 2012 national sprint champions Kelly-Ann Baptiste and Keston Bledman headline a host of athletes who will represent T&T at the London@)12 Olympics. The pair was on show at last weekend's NAAA National Track and Field Championships and claimed their crowns in commanding style. Baptiste, who was a bronze medallist in last year's IAAF World Championships put up a competitive 10.98 seconds to lead a field of women sprinters: Kai Selvon, Semoy Hackett, Michelle-Lee Ahye, Reyare Thomas, Ayanna Hutchinson who former T&T Olympian and NBC analyst, Ato Boldon says he would be surprised to not see in the Olympic final for the 4x100m sprint. They will be trying to unseat Carmelita Jeter, the US sprint queen won the US Olympic Trials in 10.92 seconds, ahead of Tianna Madison and Allyson Felix and Jeneba Tarmoh, who finished in a dead-heat for third. Tarmoh and Felix face elimination from the individual 100m contest because only three athletes can represent a country in the discipline at the Olympics.
Sprint Sensations
Date:
Fri, 2012-06-29
Bledman had an easier time in his final, disposing of Richard “Torpedo" Thompson's hopes of a beaver-trick and became the fastest non-Jamaican this year with a career-best time of 9.86. Bledman will have fast company for the men's 4x100 relay, with Rondel Sorrillo, Marc Burns, Emmanuel Callender and Jamol James all capable of getting under or close to 10 seconds. But to medal in the race they will have to make sure the baton crosses the line in someone's hand—a task that seemed too difficult at the national championship. The men started well as James passed to Marc Burns who opened up a lead and handed the baton over to Moriba Morain. But on the final exchange Morain failed to make the hand-off to Callender. St Kitts/Nevis took the race in 39.06. Look out for full coverage of the T&T Olympians in the coming weeks.
