Olympic men's javelin champion Keshorn Walcott left his mark on the track and field world in 2012 with his stunning gold medal performance at the London Olympics in August. Walcott became the second T&T athlete to strike gold at the Olympic level when he threw 84.58m to win the event at the London Olympic Stadium, joining Hasely Crawford who won the men's 100m crown at the 1976 Montreal Olympics.
The Toco lad is among two local athletes to top the world rankings in their events. Quarter-miler Machel Cedenio became the top youth (under-18) performer in the world in the 400m. Cedenio clocked 46.02, a national youth record, finishing fifth in the men's one lap event at the National Open Championships on June 23.
Walcott's performance was phenomenal to say the least. The 19-year-old improved his national senior record for the fifth time for 2012 and his junior mark on seven occasions. His winning throw in London was the best throw by a junior for the year. Walcott also has the two best distances (82.83 and 81.75) and also threw 83.51 in the first round of the Olympic finals to take the lead before his 84.58 mammoth effort. His winning distance was the second best ever by a junior and also 12th on the World Senior list for the year and 85th on the all-time senior performance rankings.
Not only does Cedenio hold the top time in the world but also the second fastest (46.17) and eight of nine fastest times for 2012. Cedenio announced his arrival to the world when he sped to the 2011 Carifta boys under-17 200m and 400m titles in Jamaica in emphatic style. He went on to place fourth in the 400m at the World Youth Championships in Lille, France, and then fifth at the World Junior (Under-20) Championships in Barcelona, Spain, on July 12.
Cedenio's sixth-place finish at the National Championships earned him a spot as a reserve on the country's men's 4x400m relay team to London. The squad went on to win Olympic bronze.
The 17-year-old was also part of T&T's national junior 4x400m squad which ranked third in the world in the mile relay following the team's clocking of 3:05.70 at the National Open Championships. The quartet of Asa Guevara, Brandon Benjamin, Theon Lewis and Cedenio was second behind the senior team which won in a national open record of 3:00:45. The quartet, with Jereem Richards replacing Theon Lewis, then took bronze at the World Junior Championships in 3:06.32.
Cedenio's name is written several times on the world rankings as he is 13th on the World Youth 200m listing with 21.23 and tenth on the World Junior 400m standings.
Four other local athletes are listed on the World Youth rankings: Reubin Walters, Guevara, Jonathan Farinha and Aaliyah Telesford.
Walters is second in the boys 110m hurdles (91.4cm) listing with his national record time of 13.49 set in winning the boys under-18 title at the CAC Junior Champs. Walters is also fifth in the 400m hurdles (84.0) with 52.45.
Guevara is seventh in the boys one-lap event with 47.28 and 14th in the 200m (21.24) while Farinha is ninth on the 200m with his 21.16. Farinha, the reigning Carifta Boys under-17 200m gold medallist is also joint 11th in the 100m ratings with 10.50. Telesford, the lone local female to make the world list, is 20th in the girls' 100m chart following her 11.70 time in winning the National Junior girls under-18 crown at the Hasely Crawford on June 2.
Richards and Kernesha Spann join Walcott and Cedenio on the World Junior list
Richards is 24th in the 200m ranking with his personal best clocking of 20.82 at the Quantum Classic. The 2012 World Indoor men's 4x400m bronze medallist also established a new 400m personal best of 46.79 in winning the 400m in completing the 200/400m double at the National Junior champs.
Spann is 24th in the women's 400m hurdles with her best-ever clocking of 58.61 in winning the Falcon Games title on March 31.
WORLD JUNIOR RANKINGS
Men
200m
(24) 20.82(-0.6) Jareem Richards
Richards ran the time in finishing fourth at the Quantum Classic in Port-of-Spain on May 19.
400m
(10) 46.02 Machel Cedenio
Cedenio was fifth in the National Open Championships in Port-of-Spain on June 23.
110m Hurdles (99.0cm)
(26) 13.73 (-0.5) Reubin Walters
Walters' time was set in finishing fifth in the semifinals of the World Junior Championships in Barcelona, Spain, on July 11.
Wayne Davis holds the world junior record of 13.08 when he won the 2009 Pan American Junior title in Port-of-Spain. Davis was then a citizen of the USA. In 2011 he switched allegiance to Trinidad and Tobago and competed at the 2012 London Olympics for T&T, reaching the semifinals.
Jehue Gordon hold the national record with his 13.41 clocking set in winning the 2010 Carifta Boys under-20 title in the Cayman Islands.
Javelin
(1) 84.58 Keshorn Walcott
Walcott's throw won him the Olympic men's javelin title and is the second best on the all-time junior list behind Zigismunds Sirmais of Latvia (84.69).
Walcott holds the top three throws in the world junior rankings (84.58, 82.83, 81.75) and eight of the top 13 throws in the world (5th-80.11; 8th-78.94; 9th-78.44; 12th-77.59; 13th-77.53).
Walcott is 12th on the 2012 World Senior listing and also 85th on the World Senior all-time rankings.
4x100m
(15) 39.99 CAC Junior U-20 team.
The national team of Jereem Richards, Jonathan Holder, Jesse Berkley, Ashron Sobers and Jonathan Holder finished third at the CAC Junior Champs.
The national record is 39.17 and is held by the 2002 World Junior quartet of Chevon Simpson, Marc Burns, Kevon Holder and Darryl Brown. The team set the time in winning bronze at the World Junior Championships in Kingston, Jamaica on July 21.
The time is fifth fastest on the all-time list.
4x400m
(3) 3:05.95 National Junior team
The team of Asa Guevara, Brandon Benjamin, Theon Lewis and Machel Cedenio clocked the time in finishing second at the National Open Championships in Port-of-Spain on June 24. The team, with Jereem Richards replacing Theon Lewis, won bronze at the World Junior Championships in Barcelona, Spain, in 3:06.32.
The national record of 3:05.70 was set by the victorious 2007 Pan American Junior team of Zwede Hewitt, Jovon Toppin, Kervin Morgan and Ade-Alleyne Forte in striking gold at the Pan American Junior Champs in Sao Paulo, Brazil on July 8. The time is also 15th on the all-time junior list.
Women
400m Hurdles
(24) 58.61 Kernesha Spann
Spann's time was set in winning the Falcons Games title on March 31.
Jeniel Bellille established the national junior record of 56.84 in winning silver at the 2008 World Junior Championships in Bydgoszcz, Poland, on July 11.
WORLD YOUTH RANKINGS
Boys
100m
(11) Jonathan Farinha 10.50 (-1.0)
(Darryl Brown is at number 4 on the all-time list after his 10.24 in winning the 2001 Carifta Boys under-20 100m title in Barbados on April 14. Brown's time was the world best at that time).
Japanese Yoshihide Kiryu holds the world best of 10.19 achieved in Fukurio, Japan, on November 3.
200m
(9) Jonathan Farinha 21.16 (-1.5), San Salvador, June 30
(13) Machel Cedenio 21.23(+1.0)
(14) Asa Guevara 21.24(+1.3)
Darryl Brown is at number 4 on the all time list with 20.43 set the 2001 Carifta trials in Port-of-Spain on May 6.
400m
(1) Machel Cedenio 46.02
Cedenio holds eight of the nine world fastest times in 2012 2nd (46.17), 4th (46.50), 5th (46.58), 6th (46.59), 7th (46.68) and 9th (46.73) (17th on the all-time World Youth list)
(7) Asa Guevara 47.28
110m Hurdles (91.4cm)
(2) 13.49 (-0.5) Reubin Walters
Walters clocked the time in winning the CAC Under-18 title in El Salvador on July 1. Walters' time is the third fastest of the year behind world leader Wilhem Belocian of France (13.12, 13.44).
Wayne Davis holds the World Youth record (13.18) set when he won the 2007 World Youth title in Ostrava, Czech Republic, on July 12. Davis competed for the USA. In 2011 he switched citizenship to Trinidad and Tobago.
400m Hurdles (84.0cm)
(5) 52.45 Reubin Walters
Walters' time was achieved in finishing second in the Boys under-18 400m hurdles at the CAC Junior Champs in El Salvador on June 29.
Girls
100m
(20) 11.70 (+1.0) Aaliyah Telesford
Telesford set the time in winning the National Junior Under-18 crown in Port-of-Spain on June 2.
