Walcott, Richards and Ahye set for worlds

Two-time Olympic medallist Keshorn Walcott, double World Indoor champion Jereem Richards and Commonwealth Games women’s 200 metres champion Michelle-Lee Ahye will lead the T&T team at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary from August 19-27.

They are among a 25-member team which features 16 athletes which includes 11 men and five women who were named by the National Association of Athletics Administration of T&T (NAAATT).

Walcott, who won gold at the 2012 London Olympic Games, recently repeated as national men’s javelin champion at the National Gas Company (NGC/NAAATT) National Open Championships at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Port-of-Spain. Walcott tossed the spear 80.41 metres to win gold and will represent T&T at the event.Richards, the reigning two-time Commonwealth Games 200m and World Indoor 400m champion, will face the starter in the 400m. At the recent National Championships, Richards ran in the men’s 200m preliminaries and advanced to the medal race but opted out final the following day. 

The Abilene Wildcats sprinter had achieved the standards for both events – 200m at 20.08 and 400m at 44.54. His 20.08 clocking was achieved when he finished second at the LA Grand Prix in Los Angeles, USA on May 27 while his 44.54 time was set as he raced to gold at the Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games in El Salvador on July 6. The mark is a new personal best for him.Richards is also on the men’s 4x400m relay with Asa Guevara, Shakeem McKay, Renny Quow and Joshua St Clair.

Ahye also reclaimed her sprint title at the National Championships. The sprinter sped to victory in the women’s 100m with 11.31 ahead of silver medallist Reyare Thomas with 11.43 and bronze medallist Akilah Lewis with 11.52, who are also named on the national team for Budapest 23. 

Ahye along with Leah Bertrand will compete in the women’s 100m dash. The duo along with Thomas, Lewis and Taejha Badal make up the women’s 4x100m relay team.

Also included on the team is reigning 100m national champion Devin Augustine, who is part of the sprint relay team. The other members of the 4x100m team are the top three finishers in the 100m final, silver medallist Jerod Elcock , Revell Webster, the bronze medallist and fourth-placed Omari Lewis as well as Judah Taylor.