While the Commonwealth Games are ongoing across the pond in England, the country’s best junior athletes are just beginning their competition at the 2022 World Athletics U20 (Under-20) Championships, also known as the World Junior Championships, at the Estadio Olímpico Pascual Guerrero in Cali, Colombia.
Just a trio of Bahamian young men were in action on Monday, but what a way for the nation to start as a new junior national record was set.
Competing in the men’s 110 meters (m) hurdles, at a height of 99 centimeters, Antoine Andrews set a new Bahamian junior national record, running a blazing 13.36 seconds out of lane eight in the third of seven first round heats. He easily won his heat and goes into the semifinals today with the second-fastest time.
The semifinals are set for 4:10 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST) in The Bahamas today. Andrews drilled a couple hurdles in his first round heat on Monday, but he didn’t let that stop him from running a lifetime best as he relied on his flat speed in the straight away to bring him home.
His previous personal best and Bahamian junior national record was 13.46 seconds that was set at the Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations (BAAA) National Youth, Junior and Senior Championships in June.
Andrews blasted out of the blocks on Monday and took command of the race early on. Despite knocking down the second and fifth of 10 hurdles, he maintained his composure and sprung through the line in the new junior national record time. Matthew Sophia, of the Netherlands, is the top qualifier for the semis, running a world-leading under-20 time of 13.10 seconds in the heats.
The other two Bahamians in action on Monday were Zachary Evans and Wanya McCoy in the heats of the men’s 100m.
Evans was fourth in his heat and finished 37th overall in 10.63 seconds, significantly off his personal best time of 10.41 seconds that was set at the BAAA National Youth, Junior and Senior Championships in June. McCoy ran in the second of eight first-round heats and finished sixth in his heat, and was 41st overall, in 10.67 seconds. His personal best time is 10.33 seconds, also done at the BAAA National Youth, Junior and Senior Championships in June.
Both Evans and McCoy failed to move on to the semifinals.
In action for The Bahamas today will be Andrews in the semifinals of the men’s 110m hurdles, Javonya Valcourt in the heats of the women’s 400m, and Paige Archer and Shatalya Dorsett in the heats of the women’s 100m.
In the women’s 400m heats, Valcourt will run out of lane seven in the first of five first-round heats at 10:51 a.m. The first four in each heat and the next four fastest times move on to Wednesday’s semifinals.
In the women’s 100m, Archer will run out of lane seven in the third of seven first-round heats at 1:44 p.m. Dorsett will run out of the center of the track in lane four in heats number six at 2:05 p.m. The first three in each heat and the next three fastest times move on to Wednesday’s semifinals. The final is also set for Wednesday.
A total of 11 athletes are representing The Bahamas at the World Junior Championships in Cali, Colombia.
