LAST CHANCE SALOON

TWENTY-ONE JAMAICAN athletes will bow into action on tomorrow’s opening day of the three-day NACAC Senior Athletics Championships in Freeport, Bahamas.

For several of these athletes, it could be the final chance to achieve the qualification standard for the World Athletics Championships, with the deadline for entries set to close on August 24, approximately a week after the three-day championships.

Fedrick Dacres, who will be seeking the qualification mark for Tokyo, along with Chad Wright, will be the first set of Jamaican athletes in action tomorrow.

At 8:15 a.m. Jamaica time, they will contest the men’s discus final, the first final of the championships. Dacres has a season’s best of 66.30 metres and Wright, 62.92, ranking them third and fourth, respectively, behind the United States pair of Sam Morris (71.27m) and Reggie Jagers (68.52m), the top two seeds in the event.

Sanique Walker and Janieve Russell will be the first Jamaican athletes on the track, competing in the preliminary round of the women’s 400-metre hurdles at 8:55 a.m. Walker, with a season and personal best of 55.30 seconds, is ranked number two, while Russell, the former multiple national champion, with a season’s best of 59.67 seconds, is ranked ninth among the nine athletes competing. Tia-Adame Belle of Barbados is the top-ranked athlete in the event with 54.67 seconds.

At 9:30 a.m., Assinie Wilson (48.42) and Malik James-King (48.49), who have both already booked their tickets for Tokyo, will contest the preliminary round of the men’s 400m hurdles. They are ranked third and fourth, with CJ Allen of the United States, the top seed, holding a best of 48.10.

World Championships-bound Amoi Brown, coming off a fifth-place finish on Tuesday in the women’s 100m hurdles at the Budapest World Continental Tour Gold meet, will contest the 100m hurdles at 10:35 a.m. alongside Yanique Thompson, the former World Youth gold medallist.

Brown has a season’s best of 12.67, done at the National Senior Championships where she finished third, while Thompson’s best is 12.78. They are ranked first and third, respectively.

At 10:50 a.m., World Championships-bound Demario Prince and Jaheim Stern will contest the men’s 110m hurdles. Prince, runner-up at the National Senior Championships, has a season’s best of 13.12, and Stern 13.27. They are ranked third and fourth, with Jaikobe Thorp of the United States leading the seedings with 13.01.

National champion and runner-up in the women’s 400m at the National Senior Championships, Nickisha Pryce (49.63), and Dejanea Oakley (49.65), the top two seeds, will contest the first round of the women’s 400m at 11:10 a.m.

National champion Rusheen McDonald and National Senior Championships runner-up Delano Kennedy will both make another attempt to hit the qualification standard for Tokyo in the men’s 400m.

McDonald, who won at the Championships in 44.89 — just outside the 44.85 automatic standard — failed in his recent bid two days ago in Budapest, finishing fifth in 45.28. With time running out, he will be hoping to meet the mark this weekend. Kennedy’s best is 44.91. They are ranked third and fourth, with Kaleb McCrea of the United States leading with 43.91.

The first session will close with the preliminary rounds of the women’s and men’s 100m, where athletes will hope to secure spots in the finals scheduled for later in the day.

Fourth-place finisher at the National Senior Championships Jodean Williams (11.02) and fifth-place finisher Jonielle Smith (11.03) will contest the women’s 100m at 11:45 a.m., where the United States’ Twanisha Terry is the top seed with 10.85.

Fifteen minutes later, Ryiem Forde and Shakur Williams will contest the men’s 100m as they also seek qualification for the evening’s final. Forde, fourth at the National Senior Championships, has a season’s best of 9.98, while Williams has gone as fast as 10.23. Jerome Blake of Canada is the top seed with 9.97.

The second session will begin at 4:30 p.m., with Nia Robinson competing in the final of the women’s long jump for Jamaica. She has a season’s best of 6.55 metres.

At 5:15 p.m., national record holder Navasky Anderson, who has already booked his ticket to Tokyo with a best of 1:44.40, and national champion Tyrice Taylor (1:45.23) will contest the preliminary round of the men’s 800m.

Four track finals will close the opening day’s competition: the women’s 100m hurdles at 5:30 p.m., men’s 110m hurdles at 5:45 p.m., women’s 100m at 7:30 p.m., and men’s 100m at 8:00 p.m.