Jereem first Trinidad and Tobago athlete on track at 'Worlds'

JEREEM Richards will be the first TT athlete to hit the track at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary.

Richards will line up tomorrow in the men’s 400-metre heats at 4.25 am TT time and national sprinters Michelle-Lee Ahye and Leah Bertrand will run in the women’s 100m heats at 6.10 am. The women’s 100m is one of the most anticipated events of the championships as it features Jamaicans Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Shericka Jackson, American Sha’Carri Richardson and Marie Josee Ta Lou of Ivory Coast.

On August 25, Keshorn Walcott competes in the men’s javelin qualification round. TT will also be represented in the men’s 4x100m relay, the women’s 4x100m relay and the men’s 4x400m relay events at the championships. The championships starts this morning with the morning session from 2.50 am TT time to 7.45 am. The afternoon session will be held from noon to 3.49 pm. The mixed 4x400-metre final, men’s 100m preliminaries and heats, women’s long jump qualification and the women’s 10,000m final are some of the events carded for the opening day.

TT team:

Javelin men: Keshorn Walcott (unattached)

400m men: Jereem Richards (Abilene Wildcats)

100m women: Leah Bertrand (Simplex), Michelle-Lee Ayhe (unattached)

Men 4x100m: Devin Augustine (Pt Fortin New Jets), Jerod Elcock (Abilene Wildcats), Revell Webster (Concorde), Omari Lewis (Concorde), Judah Taylor (Abilene Wildcats)

Women 4x100m: Leah Bertrand (Simplex), Michelle-Lee Ahye (unattached), Reyare Thomas (Abilene Wildcats), Akilah Lewis (Concorde), Taejha Badal (Memphis Pioneers)

Men 4x400m: Jereem Richards (Abilene Wildcats), Asa Guevara (Abilene Wildcats), Shakeem McKay (Abilene Wildcats), Renny Quow (Zenith Athletic Club), Joshua St Clair (Abilene Wildcats)

Officials:

Manager: Dexter Voisin

Coaches: Keston Bledman, Antonia Burton, Charles Joseph, Mastrapa Lopez

Doctor: Anyl Gopeesingh

Physiotherapist: Dr Alban Merepeza

Sports therapists: Nicole Fuentes-Charles, Anthony Walcott