PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC) – No room has been found for sprinter Darrel Brown in a 20-member Trinidad and Tobago squad for the World Championships later this month.
The 26-year-old is the only surprise exclusion from the squad named to represent the country at the showpiece in Daegu, South Korea from August 27 to September 4. Brown, a former World junior champion, was a member of the sprint relay team which captured gold last Sunday at the National Track and Field Championships at the Hasely Crawford Stadium.
Ironically enough, two other members of that team – Rondell Sorillo and Emmanuel Callender – have been included in the squad.
Olympic silver medallist Richard Thompson, meanwhile, will spearhead the contingent coming off his sizzling 9.85 seconds on Sunday as he crowned himself national sprint champion for the third straight year.
The 26-year-old, who was fifth in the last World Championships in Berlin, remains the country’s major hope for a medal.
He is joined by World junior 400 metres hurdles champion, 19-year-old Jehue Gordon who narrowly missed out on a medal in Berlin when he finished fourth.
The quickly improving Kelly-Ann Baptiste, meanwhile, will be T&T’s leading contender for a medal at the Games on the women’s side.
She has been impressive this season and recently won the Aviva Grand Prix Diamond League meet in London earlier this month.
SQUAD:
MEN – Richard Thompson, Keston Bledman, Aaron Armstrong, Rondell Sorrillo, Renny Quow, Zwede Hewitt, Jehue Gordon, Marc Burns, Emmanuel Callender, Jarrin Solomon, Jovon Toppin, Deon Lendore.
WOMEN – Kelly-Ann Baptiste, Semoy Hackette, Michelle Lee Ahye, Kai Selvon, Cleopatra Borel Brown, Ayanna Alexander, Reyare Thomas, Ayanna Hutchinson.