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News12 Jul 2007


Boys 100m Final

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Before today, Jamaica’s best result in a World Youth 100m Boys’ final was bronze. But after today, they now have a full set of medals, thanks to the gold and silver won by Dexter Lee and Nickel Ashmeade.

Lee had been the favourite throughout and was the fastest in both the heats and the semi-finals. In the quarter-finals, however, Lee started to look vulnerable because despite winning his race, he was only the fourth fastest overall.

But the 16-year-old, spurred on by his team-mate drawn two lanes away, was the class of the field and won in 10.51, three hundredths of a second ahead of Ashmeade.

USA’s Kenneth Gilstrap had led the qualifiers in the quarter-finals but struggled in the semi-finals when finishing third. He regained composure, however, to take the bronze in 10.65, marginally ahead of Christophe Lemaitre of France.

Canada had both of their sprinters make the final. Keynan Parker finished fifth with 10.74 while Ian Warner – brother of World Junior 100m silver medallist Justyn Warner – finished seventh in 10.81. Czech home hope Vaclav Zich finished in between them in sixth with 10.74 with Tse-Ching Liang of Chinese Taipei eighth in 10.84.

Compared to previous championships, the times were relatively slow. At the 1999 World Youth Championships, for example, 10.51 would have only been good enough for fifth – although it should be noted that that race was run with a strong tailwind while this year’s race was into a slight headwind.

But make no mistake about it, Lee is a class athlete. Earlier this year he won the Carifta Games with 10.34 and improved to 10.33 at the National Championships.

JM

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