Anthony Foster, Freelance Writer
Bolt
NASSAU, Bahamas:
FOURTEEN JAMAICANS will be in action on tomorrow's opening day of the 2005 Central American & Caribbean (CAC) Championships at the Thomas A. Robinson Track and Field Stadium.
However, World Junior 200m record holder Usain Bolt, the man the fans want to see, may not be among them as he and his coach, Glen Mills, are yet to arrive in the Bahamas.
The athlete's participation at the championships may now be in doubt as flights out of Jamaica had been cancelled due to the effects of Hurricane Dennis which means Bolt and his coach may not be able to get here in time for Saturday's start of the 200m.
Head coach Edward Hector said Bolt's absence would hurt the team. "It would affect us," Hector said. "We would have nobody to replace him in the 200m," he said.
Hector said Bolt could still be a part of the sprint relay team, which will be looking to upset favourites Trinidad and Tobago, who boast Marc Burns, Darrell Brown and company.
Fans in Nassau are already expressing disappointment at Bolt's absence from the Jamaica squad, which arrived in the island on Wednesday, claiming there was no one on the Jamaica team that they wanted to see, especially with the world's fastest man Asafa Powell, Olympic 200m gold champion Veronica Campbell, Aleen Bailey, and Sherone Simpson not a part of the squad.
Most of Jamaica's United States-based athletes arrived yesterday, among them Peta-Gaye Dowdie, Elva Goulboune and Debbie-Ann Paris-Thymes.
On the track, Claston Bernard and Maurice Smith are the first two Jamaicans down to compete. They will contest the 100m of the men's decathlon at 9: 30 a.m.
Beverley McDonald, Sherri-Ann Brooks or Daniel Browning, Lerone Clarke, Kurt Watson are down for the women's and men's 100m respectively. Paris-Thymes, Shevon Stoddart, Dean Griffiths, Lueroy Colquhoun are down for the 400m hurdles preliminary rounds while Shellene Williams, Moya Thompson, national champion Lansford Spence and dethroned champion Brandon Simpson will contest the first round of the women's and men's 400m.
