Five Under-20 world leaders were included in the powerful 78-member Jamaican team named by the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA) on Wednesday to represent the country at next month’s 49th Carifta Games in Kingston, April 16-18.

Brianna Lyston, who has run 11.14 seconds for the 100m and 22.66 seconds in the 200m; sprint hurdler Alexis James and 400m hurdler Safia Hinds on the girls’ side; and triple jumper Jaydon Hibbert and shot putter Christopher Young on the boys’ side were named by the selection committee coming out of the three-day Carifta trials that were held at the National Stadium earlier this month.

James ran a personal best 13.16 seconds to win the 100m hurdles at the trials, while Hinds clocked 58.06 seconds to win the intermediate hurdles.

Hibbert, who failed to make it to the top two in the long jump, recorded a massive 16.56m to win the triple jump, while Young, who was second at the Carifta trials had set a personal best 20.20m in the shot put at a meet held at GC Foster in mid-February.

Reigning World Under-20 100m champion Tina Clayton, her twin sister Tia, as well as World Under-20 Championships finalist Kobe Lawrence were also named in the team that will see the addition of the winners of the boys’ decathlon and girls’ heptathlon from the Inter-secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA)/GraceKennedy Boys’ and Girls’ Athletics Championships set to be added.

Corey Bennett, the head coach at Hydel High, told the Jamaica Observer that, based on a cursory look on the team, “This is a very strong team, I have not had the chance to really go too deep, especially on the field side, but there is a lot of talent on the track side, especially in the Under-20 teams.”

Bennett said with Jamaica hosting the championships, “the athletes will deliver, and this coming a week after our five-day champions, no disrespect to the others, but competing on home soil the athletes will do very well”.

Jamaica will be hosting the championships for the eighth time and first time in 11 years when it was held at the Montego Bay Sports Complex in 2011.

Jamaica has topped the medals tables in the last 34 years of the championships that was first held in 1972.

Team (U-17 Girls) — Theianna-Lee Terrelonge, Camoy Binger, Sabrina Dockery, Abigail Campbell, Quana Walker, Andrene Peart, Ricaria Campbell, Kededra Coombs, Deandra Harris, Bryana Davidson, Jody-Ann Daley, Asia McKay, Danielle Noble, Rohanna Sudlow, Shemonique Hazle, Sabrina Atkinson, Dionjah Shaw, Rehanna Biggs, Nastassia Burrel l; (U-17 Boys) — Gary Card, Shaquane Gordon, Romario Hines, Rickoy Hunter, Tajh-Marques White, Marchino Rose, Ainsley Brown, Rasheed Pryce, Yoshane Bowen, Tyrone Lawson, Jordan Mowatt, Princewell Martin, Jadan Campbell, Zachary Wallace, Aaron McKenzie, Chavez Penn, Euan Young, Despiro Wray; U-20 Girls — Tia Clayton, Tina Clayton, Brianna Lyston, Oneika McAnnuff, Shackelia Green, Kaylia Kelly, Rushana Dwyer, Samantha Pryce, Jody ann Mitchell, Ashara Frater, Safhia Hinds, Alexis James, Oneka Wilson, Britannia Johnson, Annishka McDonald, Malaika Cunningham, Serena Cole, Kay-Lagay Clarke, Jo-Anna Pinnock, Cedricka Williams, Rickeisha Simms; U-20 Boys — DeAndre Daley, Bryan Levell, Bouwahjgie Nkrumie, Sandrey Davison, Delano Kennedy, Shemar Palmer, J’Voughnn Blake, Adrian Nethersole, Nicholas Power, Christopher Young, Balvin Israel, Royan Walters, Brandon Pottinger, Xavier Codling, Kobe Lawrence, Rayon Campbell, Roshawn Clarke, Jahvel Granville, Demario Prince, Jaydon Hibbert.

— Paul Reid