GROSSETO, Italy, CMC:ANTIGUAN CARIFTA Games champion Daniel Bailey impressively logged a National Junior record while winning his 100-metre semi-final on the opening day of the 10th IAAF World Junior Championship yesterday afternoon.
Bailey joined American Demi Omole in a tight finish in heat one of the semi-finals, both clocking 10.19 seconds and the photo-finish camera gave the edge to Bailey.
Trinidad and Tobago's Wanda Hutson was also a semi-final winner, capturing her heat in 11.60 seconds as English-speaking Caribbean athletes booked a combined five spots in today's 100-metre finals for men and women.
In semi-final one of the men's 100 metres, Omole led the field after a fast start and Bailey accelerated well in the last 10 metres to snatch victory, out-leaning the American in the tight finish although both runners appeared to have more in reserve.
FAST LOSERS
Jamaica's Remaldo Rose finished third in 10.36 and Bahamian Grafton Ifill took fourth in a personal best 10.39 to both advance as the fast losers.
Saudi Arabia's Yahya Al-Gahes (10.38) won semi-final two in which Jamaican Andre Wellington was eliminated in a seventh place finish in 10.72, and American Ivory Williams posted a solid win in heat three in 10.30. Bahamian Derek Carey was seventh there in 10.78.
Fast-starting Hutson, last month's Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Junior championship gold medallist in Mexico, was the fourth quickest in the semis with her win, while Americans Ashley Owens (11.35) and Jasmine Baldwin (11.46) were good winners of the other heats.
Jamaican Schillonie Calvert (11.77) was second in semi-final two to Ashley, the US Junior champion.
In the women's 400 metres, Trinidadian & Tobago's Abigail David (53.48), Jamaican CARIFTA champion Sonita Sutherland (53.52) and Kineke Alexander (54.00) of St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) advanced to today's semi-finals.
FIRST-ROUND HEAT
Jamaican Michael Gardner led the Caribbean qualifiers for the men's 400 semis.
He clocked 47.06 for third in his first-round heat, while T&T's Renny Quow (47.19), and Bahamian Andretti Bain (47.25) also advanced.
In the women's 800 metres, Jamaican Kayan Thompson also secured a place in the next round when she placed fourth in heat four in two minutes 6.01 seconds after setting the pace and leading with a 58.21 first-lap split.
Meselech Melkamu of Ethiopia became the first 2004 World Junior champion as she set a new championship record of 15:21.52 to win the women's 5,000 metres.
