Usain Bolt in Kingston 2002 (© Getty Images)
200m national record holder Usain Bolt who last year in Kingston became the youngest ever IAAF World Junior Champion aged 15 years and 333 days will head the Jamaican Youth team at the forthcoming World Youth Championships in Sherbrooke, Canada.
Bolt will start as the hot favourite for winning gold in Sherbrooke’s 200m given his massive personal best of 20.25.
Bolt will not be his country's only gold medal contender as Jamaica can also count on the great talent of 17-year-old Aneisha McLaughlin. A 200m silver medallist at last year’s World Junior Championships in Kingston where she was competing against older runners, McLaughlin will take part in her second IAAF World Youth Championships after claiming a tremendous bronze medal in 2001 at the mere age of 15!
Biographies of leading Jamaican athletes
Usain Bolt
DOB: 21-8-86
POB: Sherwood Content, Trelawny
Height: 6ft 5 in
Weight: 190 lbs
Usain Bolt one of two children. He lives with his parents Jennifer and Wesley. He admires role models Aurther Wint the Jamaican 1948 and 1952 Olympic multiple Gold medallist and ,Michael Johnson the current world record holder for 200 and 400m.
He enjoys active sports as basketball, and he also likes watching T V and playing computer games .He appreciates a good workout, however he does not like rigorous training. Usain relishes a delicious home cooked meal of chicken with rice and peas. His long-range plans include a career in physiotherapy.
Performances
9th IAAF Coca Cola World Junior Championship 2002
200m Gold
4x400m Silver
2002 CAC: 200m Gold and 400m Gold
2002 Carifta Games: 200m Gold and 400m Gold
2003 Carifta Games: 200m Gold and 400m Gold
National Junior Record: 200m 20.25
Personal Best: 400m 45.35
Aneisha McLaughlin
Date of Birth: 6th January 1986
POB: Freetown, Manchester
Height: 5 feet 6 inches
Weight: 140 lbs
Aneisha lives with her five siblings at home with parents Jasmine and Richard. She enjoys reading and listening to music. Her favourites are Mills and Boone novels, reggae, hip-hop and soul music. Aneisha is a very disciplined child. She maintains a good grade point average in school.
Her coach Maurice Wilson uses her as an example for the other members of the school track team. Anny, as she is fondly called by her team -mates, is always the first to arrive on the field, and wastes no time doing her workout during practice each day. Her role model is Marion Jones and like Marion, her aspiration is to continue being a world leader up to the senior level. After her career in athletics is over, she plans to be a physiotherapist. Aneisha’s favourite meal is a local dish consisting of dumplings, ackee and codfish. She has high moral standards and values honesty. She believes that truthfulness and sincerity will bring us all more happiness.
Performances
9th IAAF Coca Cola World Junior Championship 2002
Gold 4 x 100m
Silver 200m
2nd IAAF World Youth Championships 2001
Silver Medley Relay
Bronze 400m
8th IAAF Coca Cola World Junior Championships 2000
Silver 4 x 400m
2003 Carifta Games: Gold 400m
2002 Carifta Games: Gold 100m
2002 C A C: Gold 100m and 200m
2001 Carifta Games: Gold 400m
Personal Bests
100m: 11.48
200m: 22.94
400m: 52.31
Sherlene Duncan
Date of Birth: 5th May 1986
Place of Birth: Manchester
Height: 5ft 5ins
Weight: 142 lbs
Sherlene lives with her father Stanley, her dear stepmother Madge and her twin brother. Her mother died on the 5th May 1986 in childbirth so Sherlene did not know her biological mother. Her stepmother is very gentle and ladylike. She is a “true” mother and Sherlene just adores her. She looks up to her stepmother as her role model and she is definitely the person Sherlene emulates.
Sherlene is very studious and maintains a very high grade point average. She writes beautiful poems and her ambition is to be a teacher of European History. She also loves soft gospel music. Her goal is to start a family when she is older and to continue enjoying a good family life.
Performance
Carifta Games: 200m Bronze Medal
Personal Best
100m: 11.83
200m: 23.94
Davian Parker
Date of Birth: 12 February 1986
Place of Birth: Mandeville, Manchester
Height: 5ft 4ins
Weight: 134 lbs
Davian lives in the Dinsinane district of Manchester. He is one of five children. His parents are Rickie Parker and Maurine Chambers. Davian is an active youth. He is very involved in sports. When he is not training for track, he is engaged in corner league football. He never misses an opportunity to watch a track meet on TV and he adores the Kenyan middle distant runners.
Someday he hopes to dominate the 800m and emulate those powerful runners he admires so much. Davian loves the technical subjects in school. He excels in technical drawing and aspires to be an architect. His other love is reggae music. He is also fond of the Honda prelude and hopes to own one someday. Davian is a very sociable young man and dislikes aggressive behaviour.
Performance
Carifta Games 2003: 800m Silver Medal
Personal Best
800m: 1:52.08
JAAA for the IAAF
