T&T's Khalifa St Fort is listed as one of the leading contenders for the women's 100 metres title at the World Junior Championships scheduled to begin on Tuesday in IAAF World U20 Championships in Bydgoszcz, Poland.
St Fort, who is coached by four-time Olympic medal winner Ato Boldon, will challenge a cast of well-established names on the sprinting scene including Candace Hill and home favourite Ewa Swoboda.
The local sprinter and Hill will renew their rivalry, having met in the World Youth Championships in Cali, Colombia, last year.
St Fort took the silver medal behind Hill, before becoming the youngest ever sprint medallist in World Championships history with bronze for T&T in the 4x100m in Beijing. She also won gold at the Pan American Junior Championships in Edmonton, Canada, last year.
Hill, 17, went on to complete a sprint double and set world Under-18 bests of 11.08 and 22.43 seconds before turning professional soon afterwards.
Eighteen-year-old St Fort, who also turned professional earlier this year, enters the elite youth meet, coming off a fourth place finish at the National Championships with a personal best of 11.16 and has been called up for relay duty at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, next month.
Swoboda, also 18, won the European junior title last year and also set a world indoor U-20 60m record of 7.07 in Torun. Swoboda arrives at the championships as the third-fastest woman in the field after setting a lifetime best and national U-20 record of 11.18 on her season's debut in May.
Another T&T athlete that will race in the event is Jenea Spinks, who won the national junior title with a time of 11.79 and followed that up with a 11.65 in the senior championships.
St Fort will also face the starter in the 200m and will have to contend with a tough field that includes World U-20 leader Barbadian Sada Williams, US Junior Championships runner-up Taylor Bennett and Jayla Kirkland, who won the US U-20 title in 23.16.
The T&T sprinter's personal best in the event is 23.55, which was set back in 2014. She will have to improve markedly to contest a podium spot against the trio, who has impressive credentials for the season thus far.
Williams, who is seeking her country's first gold medal in the event, registered a 22.61 run in early March, a mark she backed up with a wind-assisted 22.72 to take the Carifta Games title, and more recently with 22.88, which propelled her to the national senior title some three weeks ago.
Bennett, 19, sprinted 22.71 seconds in April and clocked 23.20 at the US Junior Championships, while Kirkland won the US U-20 title in 23.16, just 0.01 outside of her personal best set in Greensboro in June. The 17-year-old also has experience at the premier youth event, having earned a bronze medal in 100m dash at last year.
St Fort's busy schedule also includes the 4x100m relay, in which she will partner with Spinks, Sara Wollaston and Akeera Esdelle. Also part of the relay squad is hurdler Jeminise Parris.
She will also compete in the women's 100m hurdle race.
Teams
Women
Khalifa St Fort (100m/200m/4x100m)
Jenea Spinks (100m/4x100m)
Sara Wollaston (4x100m)
Akeera Esdelle (4x100m)
Jeminise Parris (100m H/4x100m)
Men
Akanni Hislop (100m/200m)
Joshua St Clair (400m/4x400m)
Kashief King (400m/4x400m)
Juda Taylor (4x400m)
Dwight St Hilliare (4x400m)
Daniel Gibbs (4x400m)
Technical Team
Jim Clarke (manager), Gerrad Franklyn (head coach), Hydianne Harper Simmons (coach), Clint Mc Kenzie (physio)
