The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

FOLLOWING the completion of its trials over the weekend at the original Thomas A Robinson Track and Field Stadium, the Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations on Sunday ratified its biggest team ever - 18 members - for the 8th IAAF World Youth Championships in Donetsk, Ukraine.

The team, which includes nine officials, is scheduled to leave on July 2. The championships are set for July 10-14.

According to BAAA public relations officer Tonique Williams-Darling, the athletes would also have the opportunity to represent the Bahamas at the Junior Pan-American Games in Lima, Peru, August2-4.

While it was mandatory for the athletes to attain the qualifying standard, they still had to finish in the top two in the trials.

During the trials, there were several athletes who did meet all requirements in the trials, but will not travel as a part of this team.

One of those athletes, according to Williams, is Doneisha Anderson, who won the 400 metres but because she is only 12, she does not meet the minimum age of 16 years by December 31, 2013.

The coaches selected to the team are head coach Dianne Woodside, who will be assisted by Stephen Murray, Patrick Adderley, Lavern Eve and James Rolle. Also travelling will be a physio-therapist, team doctor, chaperon and manager, all of whom will be announced before the team departs.

Woodside, who last coached a team at the 2nd championships in 2001 in Debrecen, Hungary, said the Bahamas has continued to see an improvement in its performances since the inception of the biannual championships in Bydgoszcz, Poland in 1999.

Nivea Smith broke the ice when she won a bronze medal in the women’s 200 in 2007 in Ostrava, Czech Republic. Four years later in Lille, France in 2011, the Bahamas got its best showing with Shaunae Miller and Stephen Newbold capturing the gold in the women and men’s 400 and Latario Collie-Minns in the men’s triple jump while his twin brother Lathone Collie-Minns picked up the bronze in the triple jump.

“I think we have a pretty strong team this year, especially in the boys division,” said Woodside, who last year made history as the first Bahamian female to coach at the 2012 Olympic Games in London, England.

“We have a good core of sprinters, but we also have a lot more hurdlers, which should help with our boys and girls medley relay teams. We also have three throwers and a distance runner, so those events that we were not so strong in the past, we are seeing an improvement.”

Woodside said she won’t go on record to make any predictions, but she noted that with LaQuan Nairn ranked in the top 10 in both the boys long jump and high jump and Xavier Coakley ranked in the hurdles, the expectations for the team are very high.

The following athletes have been selected to the team to compete in their respective events:

Under-18 girls

100m - Janae Ambrose and Makeya White

200m - Loushanya Neymour and Kadiesha Heild

400m - Kadiesha Hield and Shaquania Dorsette

400m hurdles - Talia Thompson and Mesha Newbold.

Shot Put - Brashae Wood

Under-18 Boys

100m - Keanu Pennerman and Ian Kerr

200m - Ian Kerr and Janeko Cartwright

400m - Janeko Cartwright and Kinard Rolle

800m - Claudius Russell

100m hurdles - Xavier Coakley

400m hurdles - Xavier Coakley and D’Mitry Charlton

Long Jump - Laquan Nairn

Triple Jump - Kaiwan Culmer

High Jump - Laquan Nairn

Javelin - Denzel Pratt

Discus - Drexel Maycock