Jamaica name 64-member team for Eugene World Champs; US-born Hudson out
KINGSTON, Jamaica – American-born Andrew Hudson, who won the 200m at the recent national trials, is not eligible to compete for Jamaica until after the July 15 – 24 World Athletics Championships and as a result has been left off the list of athletes submitted by the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA) to represent the country at the Games to be held in Eugene, Oregon.
The 64 member squad of 34 females and 30 males was announced Friday evening by the JAAA.
Hudson, who had still not received his Jamaican passport up to when he won the 200m in 20.10 seconds at the National Championships, is being replaced by Akeem Bloomfield as one of the island’s three male representatives in that event in Eugene.
World 100m champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, double-Olympic champion Elaine Thompson-Herah and double national sprint champion Shericka Jackson lead the list of athletes named to the team. They will be joined in the 100m by Kemba Nelson while Briana Williams has been named as a reserve in the event. Fraser-Pryce, Thompson-Herah and Jackson have been listed as Jamaica’s representatives in the 200m, with Natalliah Whyte named as the alternative.
Yohan Blake, who won the 100m and was second in the 200m at the national trials, will do the sprint double in Eugene. He will be joined in the 100m by Oblique Seville and Ackeem Blake while Jelani Walker has been named to the team as a reserve in the event. Bloomfield and Rasheed Dwyer will join Blake in the 200m.
As expected, Jamaica will be represented in 100m hurdles by national champion Britany Anderson, Megan Tapper and Danielle Williams; and in the 110m hurdles by national and Olympic champion Hansle Parchment, Rasheed Broadbell and Orlando Bennett. Demisha Roswell and Damion Thomas were named reserves for the respective events.
In the meantime, former Calabar High standout Christopher Taylor will join national champion Jevaughn Powell and runner-up Nathon Allen as representatives in the 400m in Eugene, despite finishing down the field in the finals at the national trials; this by virtue of being the only Jamaican outside of Powell and Allen to have attained the World Championships qualifying mark in the event.
See full World Championships team named by the JAAA below.