Terrelonge, Dunkley expected to defend junior champs’ titles

JAVORNE DUNKLEY amd Theianna-Lee Terrelonge are expected to top a record number of entries in the 100 metres at this year’s JAAA PUMA National Junior and Senior National Championships at the National Stadium.

At the championships, the country’s top junior athletes will be hunting for places on the national team to the World Under-20 Championships to be held in Lima, Peru, from August 27-31.

There will be 31 girls looking for a spot on Jamaica’s team in the shortest sprint, while 61 boys will seek to the same.

Terrelonge, who was double sprint champion at last year’s championships, is the country’s second-fastest junior in the 100 this season, with a personal best 11.22 seconds, just behind Alana Reid, who leads the world with 11.09.

Reid will compete with the seniors at the ‘Trials’, leaving the way open for Terrelonge to win back-to-back titles.

Terrelonge lost once to her peers this season when she was beaten by Lacovia’s Sabrina Dockery in the under-20 final at the Carifta Games. Dockery ran a personal best 11.26 to achieve the minor upset at the Kirani James Stadium in Grenada in April.

While Dockery will be hoping to repeat that feat at Trials, Terrelonge has looked ominous, recently equalling her personal best at the French Foray II meet, finising second behind senior Shashalee Forbes.

Hydel’s Alliah Baker, with a personal best 11.34, and Muschett High School’s Shanoya Douglas, 11.40, are also good enough to pose challenges for the nation’s top two.

It should be a more competitive affair among the males where Dunkley’s season’s best of 10.23 seconds, done in the preliminary round of the boys’ under-20 event at the Carifta Games in Grenada is the quickest.

Still, Dunkley, who has a personal best of 10.17, will have to be at his best to stave off the challenge of DeAndre Daley of Herbert Morrison Technical.

Daley seems to have recovered from early season injury issues, posting a season’s best 10.26s at French Foray II.

A year ago, Daley was second in a personal best 10.08s behind national junior record holder, Bouwahjgie Nkrume, who won the Class 1 event at the ISSA Boys and Girls’ Athletics Championships.

Dunkley and Daley, though, don’t just have each other for company, with MVP Track Club’s Hector Benjamin, who has gone as fast as 10.34.

Calabar’s Khamani Gordon is also running fast with a season’s best of 10.37. Junior Harris of Swept Track Club is also in the picture with his personal best of 10.38.