Smikle steals show at UWI Invit'l

BY KAYON RAYNOR Senior staff reporter raynork@jamaicaobserver.com

Sunday, February 21, 2010

WORLD Youth bronze medallist Travis Smikle of Calabar High needed a new National Junior record (NJR) of 59.21 metres (1.75KG) to win the Under-20 Boys discus event at the UWI Gatorade Invitational at the National Stadium yesterday.

The record throw by Smikle overshadowed performances by several of the nation's elite athletes, including former 100 metres world record-holder Asafa Powell.

Smikle, who entered the event as the National Junior record-holder with 57.18 metres done in 2009, watched as his Calabar teammate Chad Wright erased it with a heave of 58.88m on his first attempt.

However Smikle, who had set the previous NJ mark while placing second at last summer's Pan American Junior Championships in Trinidad last summer, showed character by reclaiming the mark on his sixth and final throw.

"I'm very happy and I will relish this moment because I know that it (NJR) will be gone in a few weeks, but I have to give Gods thanks for what He has done so far," Smikle told the Sunday Observer.

"Later in the season, I think that I can reach the 60-metre mark and even reach close to 65 metres, seeing that we have the World Juniors (Championships). I aspire to go there and even medal. I know it won't be like the World Youth Championships, so I'll be working even harder," he added.

"Congratulation to my competitor and schoolmate Chad Wright. We're good friends and we've come to the realisation that we're rivals for once and friends for life," the affable Smikle said.

Both Smikle and Wright have already attained the automatic qualifying standard to compete at the IAAF World Junior Championships set for Moncton, Canada, in July.

Carifta Games Under-17 double sprint gold medallist Jazeel Murphy of Bridgeport was also impressive as the Class Two athlete posted 21.20 seconds in the 200 metres.

In the meantime, World and Olympic 400m silver medallist Shericka Williams, Olympic finalist Rose Marie Whyte and 2006 Commonwealth 400 bronze medallist Jermaine Gonzales were the top performers among the seniors.

Williams of the MVP Track Club clocked 23.25secs to win the Olympic Development 200m ahead Schillonie Calvert of the Racers Track Club, 23.97.

Gonzales, who trains at Racers Track Club, stole the show in the Olympic Development 400m event, as he returned 46.37secs to win ahead of Michael Mason (46.67) of GC Foster College and world 100m bronze medallist Asafa Powell (47.56).

Olympic finalist Rose-Marie Whyte took the women's equivalent in 52.19, followed by Nadia Cunningham with 53.92 and Sherone Simpson, 54.43.

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Smikle steals show at UWI Invit'l