The Virgin Islands Track and Field Federation has announced that V.I. National Youth Track and Field Team member Kayla King, a student/athlete at the St. Croix Educational Complex High School and a member of the St. Croix Track Club, represented the territory in the International Association of Athletics Federation’s (IAAF) World Championships in Donetsk, Ukraine, this week in the 100m with a time of 12.53 for 8th place in her heat. In only her second competition as a V.I. National Team member, she approached her personal best of 12.41 in the event, which was her qualifying mark accomplished at CARIFTA in the Bahamas.
Notes:
1] King shows much promise as she now moves up to the junior category and was actually one of four V.I. National Youth Track and Field Team members who made the qualifying standard for the World Youth Championships including: Quashira McIntosh of Hope High School in Providence, Road Island (she qualified in the 100m and 200m), but due to a death in the family did not compete in Ukraine; Rohan Eugene of Eudora Kean High School/Cheetah’s Track Club (100m) has a passport issue and did not travel to the competition, and Nia Jack, student/athlete St. Croix Educational Complex/St. Croix Track Club (100m and 200m), is under age and not eligible to compete even though she made the qualifying standard.
2] King, McIntosh and Eugene will be among other V.I. National Junior Track and Field Team candidates have their sights set on qualifying for the CAC, NACAC and IAAF World Junior Championships coming up in 2014. As well, many will be working to qualify for the 2nd Youth Olympic Games in 2014.
3] The best performances by a V.I. National Track and Field Youth Team member at the IAAF World Youth Championships were those by Allison Peter, then a student/athlete at the St. Croix Educational Complex High School/Barracudas Track Club in the 100m and 200m, in Bressanone, Italy, in 2009 where she won two silver medals, each in the 100m and 200m.
4] The Team Leader/National Coach for the World Youth Championships is Mireille Smith of the St. Croix Track Club.
5] Funding for the team travel to Ukraine was provided by the VITFF and the IAAF.
