Sonita Sutherland (right) enters the straight in the 4x400m relay last Sunday to land Jamaica the bronze in 3:30.37 behind the US (3:27.60, world junior record) and Russia (3:30.03).
Raymond Graham, Freelance Writer
IT IS now history. The 10th staging of the World Junior Track and Field athletics Champion-ships came to an end in Grosseto, Italy last Sunday.
With a strong team which comprised more than 70 athletes, the powerful United States team, like it did two years ago in Kingston, topped the Championships with 19 medals, which included 13 gold, three silver and three bronze. To top off their great performance they captured all relay gold medals which included three world records.
It was an awesome performance by the US as they were fortunate to have most of their collegiate athletes coming off a successful NCAA season. They also did this without their best two female athletes in Allison Felix and Sanya Richards.
BRILLIANT SUB-50 SECONDS
Felix, who at 18 years is a professional athlete, won the US senior 200 metres in a sub-23 seconds while Richards also did very well at the US Trials as she posted a brilliant sub-50 seconds to finish second in the 400m.
Despite the US stealing the show, the performance of the Jamaicans was indeed heart-warming. Although failing to overhaul their performance of two years ago where they won 11 medals, it was a very successful meet for the Jamaicans.
With defending champion Usain Bolt and top female 200m runner Simone Facey missing, there was great pressure on the Jamaican team to even be among the medals this time around.
When the team departed there were many people who did not give them any chance of doing well as it was one of the weakest teams Jamaica had sent to the Champion-ships as only Kayon Thompson and Sonita Sutherland were given chances of medalling.
To make matters worse, the team only arrived in Italy a day before the Championships.
However, as soon as the athletes adjusted their performances started to lift.
Undoubtedly, the stars for Jamaica were Holmwood Tech-nical's Anneisha McLaughlin and Sutherland on the female side with Camperdown's Renaldo Rose stealing the spotlight on the male side.
After her brilliant second placed finish two years ago in Jamaica and her gold at the World Youth Championships in the 200m after that, all expected McLaughlin to go to the Championships this year and get the gold. However, at the Trials in June she did not look in good form but in Italy she retained her silver medal placing and also ran a scorching third leg on the female 4x100m relay team to give Jamaica the silver medal just behind the US.
ONE FOR THE FUTURE
Following her seventh placed finish at the senior Trials, Sutherland, the best schoolgirl quarter-miler this season, proved that she is one for the future.
After going into the final with the slowest time and running out of lane one, the tiny Sutherland ran superbly to grab the silver in the 400m in a sub-53 seconds. She also ran the anchor leg on the mile relay team which placed third.
With the absence of Bolt, the chances of Jamaica getting an individual medal among the boys looked remote.
However, the Jermaine Shand-coached Rose out of the sprint factory, Camperdown High, showed great top end speed and raced to a bronze in the 100m.
Rose, who is only 17, showed remarkable temperament as at halfway stage he looked like finishing in the middle of the pack but flew at the end to pick up his medal in a close finish.
The likes of Nickeisha Anderson, Kayann Thompson, Sherene Pinnock who all got bronze medals and Schillone Calvert should also be commended for their efforts.
