Sunday, February 7 2010

EXPECTATIONS are high this year for the staging of North, Central American and Caribbean (NACAC) Cross Country Championship which will be held on local soil for the first time.

The event has been dominated by the Americans and Canadians in the past but this year a strong Trinidad and Tobago team will be hoping to make an impression.

A shortlist of six of the country’s top runners has been selected and it include this year’s Clico International Marathon fourth place finisher Richard Jones, fifth placed Curtis Cox and Clico 5K winner Matthew Hagley.

Also among the shortlisted athletes are the 2009 Secondary Schools’ 5K champion George Smith, Jules La Rode and Elvis Turner.

The women will consist Clico Marathon runner-up Paulette Luces, grand daughter of veteran runner Lynette “Granny” Luces, Shermin Lasaldo and Secondary Schools’ female 5K winner Samantha Shukla. Chairman of the event’s Local Organising Committee (LOC) Dexter Voisin said both teams are to be selected by today.

The cross country will comprise a 4- Kilometre race for Junior Women; a 6- Kilometre race Junior Men and Open Women; and an 8- Kilometre event for Open Men on March 6 at the Mt Irvine Bay and Hotel in Tobago.

The event is being put on by the National Association of Athletic Administration (NAAAs) and will comprised some 32 countries in the NACAC region.

Among them regional powerhouse Jamaica, the United States, Canada, Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda, United States Virgin Islands (USVI), Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Guyana, Mexico, St Lucia, St Vincent, Puerto Rico and host nation Trinidad and Tobago- all of whom have already confirmed their participation for the championships.

According to Voisin the athletes for the countries will be released by February 15.