Tia Clayton returns to the track

THE JAMAICA Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA) has selected a powerful 47-member team – 21 females and 26 males – to represent the country at the NACAC Senior Track and Field Championships, to be held in Freeport, Bahamas, from August 15-17.

The contingent features a mix of experienced senior athletes and rising stars who excelled at the recent National Senior Championships.

Heading the list among the females will be Tia Clayton, who will contest the individual 100m. Clayton, the fastest qualifier for the finals of the blue riband event with a personal best of 10.86 seconds, failed to finish the final after pulling up mid-race with a hamstring injury. She will be joined by Jodean Williams, who finished fourth at the National Senior Championships.

Ashanti Moore in the 200m and Kelly-Ann Beckford in the 800m are two other individual event winners who will compete. Moore will be joined by Gabrielle Matthews, the second-place finisher in the half-lap, and both, along with Beckford, will be hoping to attain the World Championships qualifying marks in their events.

Seven-time national champion Shanieka Ricketts will lead the women in the field events, contesting the triple jump. Samantha Hall, winner in the discus, and Nayoka Clunis, winner in the hammer throw, are the other field winners from the National Championships set to compete.

Dejanea Oakley and Stacy-Ann Williams will compete over 400 metres, while Amoi Brown and Kerrica Hill, who were third and fourth, respectively, in the women’s 100m hurdles, will also compete. Lloydricia Cameron will take on field duties in the shot put.

The JAAA has selected a very strong group for the women’s 4x400m relay, as they aim to secure a World Championships qualifying time after failing to do so at the World Relays and at the inaugural Barbados Grand Prix recently. National champion Nickisha Pryce will lead the team, which includes Williams, Oakley, Leah Anderson, Shaquena Foote, and Roneisha McGregor.

Rusheen McDonald, national record holder and 400m champion at the National Championships, will contest the one-lap event. He will be joined by runner-up Delano Kennedy, with both aiming to achieve the World Championships qualifying standard of 44.85 seconds.

Christopher Taylor and Adrian Kerr, who finished second and third, respectively, in the 200m, will also compete, both seeking to hit the qualifying mark for Tokyo.

Jordan Scott, Carey McLeod, winners of the men’s triple jump and long jump, will headline the field event athletes.

Jamaica will also make another attempt to qualify for the men’s 4x100m relay after falling short in their last outing at the Barbados Grand Prix. Taylor, Kadrian Goldson, and Bouwahjgie Nkrumie, who were part of that team, will be joined by Adrian Kerr, Rohan Watson, and Ryiem Forde for this effort.

Jamaica team to NACAC

WOMEN

100m: Tia Clayton, Jodean Williams

200m: Ashanti Moore, Gabrielle Matthews

400m: Dejanea Oakley, Stacy-Ann Williams

800m: Kelly-Ann Beckford

100mH: Amoi Brown, Kerrica Hill

400mH: Janieve Russell, Sanique Walker

Long Jump: Nia Robinson

Discus: Samantha Hall

Shot Put: Lloydricia Cameron

Hammer Throw: Nayoka Clunis

Triple Jump: Shanieka Ricketts

4x100m Relay: Tia Clayton, Jodean Williams, Ashanti Moore, Jonelle Smith, Gabrielle Matthews

4x400m Relay: Nickisha Pryce, Dejanea Oakley, Stacy-Ann Williams, Leah Anderson, Shaquena Foote, Roneisha McGregor

MEN

100m: Ryiem Forde, Rohan Watson

200m: Christopher Taylor, Adrian Kerr

400m: Rusheen McDonald, Delano Kennedy

800m: Navasky Anderson, Tyrese Taylor

110mH: Demario Prince, Tyler Mason

400mH: Assinie Wilson, Malik James-King

Long Jump: Carey McLeod, Shawn D. Thompson

High Jump: Raymond Richards, Romaine Beckford

Discus: Fedrick Dacres, Chad Wright

Triple Jump: Jordan Scott

Javelin: Ellvis Graham

4x100m Relay: Kadrian Goldson, Ryiem Forde, Rohan Watson, Christopher Taylor, Adrian Kerr, Bouwahjuie Nkrumie

4x400m Relay: Rusheen McDonald, Zandrion Barnes, Shamer Uter, Delano Kennedy, Deandre Watkins, Novel McPherson