Personal showdowns loom at Nationals next week

Nov 19, 2016 Sports

With the focus on which District will win the National Schools’ Cycling, Swimming and Track and

Daniel Williams

Field Championships 2016, set to start on Monday, former national junior sprinter, Treiston Joseph believes it is usually the head-to-head battles in athletics that makes the event an enduring and successful one for the past 56 years.
“While some athletes such as Compton Caesar and Shauntel Hinds are set to dominate their events and categories, the Under-18 Category sprints in both male and female should blow the roof off the National Stadium,” Joseph said.
The battle for the Boy’s Under-18 sprints between Berbice’s, Tyrell Peters and Linden’s Daniel Williams should provide major spark when the two clash, with records expected to fall when all is said and done between the two top talents.
“Both athletes are set to meet in the 100 and 200 metres and as seen over the past years both of the athletes have various attributes,” Joseph pointed out.
“Peters, clearly the more explosive of the two athletes with faster leg speed is a lock for 100 metres success as proven by his 10.68s silver medal run at the South American Youth Championships, while Williams because of his 400 metres strength is a lock for 200 metres success with his top end speed,” the former top junior athlete continued.
Williams defeated Peters in the 200 metres at the South American Youth Championships, which helped him to a bronze medal in the process. Joseph believes because of that, Williams has what he called “a mental edge” in the 200 metres at

Tyrell Peters

Nationals.
“The question remains: can Williams top end speed kick in early enough to topple Peters in an expected mega-clash in the 100 metres Finals or will Peters stave off a Williams finishing speed to win 200 metres final?”
Meanwhile, Joseph pointed out that the female version of the sprints should be a three-way battle among East Georgetown’s, Cassie Small, North Georgetown’s, Kenisha Phillips and Linden’s Onasha Rogers.
“Phillips has ruled the roost for female sprinting in the nation, but Rogers has been consistently improving, and the technically correct sprinter that also has a great start will have to run near perfect races to topple Phillips, who recently returned from the South American Youth Championships,” Joseph theorised.
Phillips, who competes in the three sprint events, will have a great combination of strength, speed and power. She will have to contend with Cassie Small as well in all three events compared to Rogers, who will just feature in the 100m and 200m races.
“Where Small has the evident edge over both top class female sprinters is in the intangibles of the sport; while both sprinters might be a touch ahead of Small in talent, the East Georgetown athlete makes up for it with heart and a never say die attitude that can help propel her to upset wins,” Joseph pointed out in his assessment.
Joseph, who is now a journalist attached to News Room, believes that the personal battles at the Championships next week sets the stage for a riveting competition that will threaten lots of records.

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