Thursday, January 19, 2006
The Cayman Islands Athletics Association has announced a team of 6 athletes who will represent the Cayman Islands in track and field at the Commonwealth Games.
The team will be lead by two very experienced athletes in the form of Kareem Streete-Thompson and Cydonie Mothersill.
Both athletes have participated in the Commonwealth Games before, with Streete-Thompson claiming a bronze medal in the long jump in the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester.
At the 2006 Games, Streete-Thompson will be competing in the men’s 100-metre dash and in the 4x100-metre relay.
Mothersill will take on the rest of the Commonwealth in the 200-metre dash, an event in which she is currently ranked fourth in the world.
Stephon Johnson will make his first trip to the Commonwealth Games, where he is set to compete in the 100-metre and 200-metre dash, as well as in the 4x100-metre relay. Johnson comes off a successful college season during which he set a new Cayman National Record in the 200-metre dash.
Ronald Forbes is another athlete who will be making his debut at the Commonwealth Games, where he will be competing in the 110-metre hurdles and the 4x100-metre relay. Forbes had a very good college season, during which he set new Cayman National Records in the 110-metre hurdles and 400-metre hurdles.
Robert Ibeh has now come to the end of a collegiate career during which he set good times in the 100-metre and 200-metre dash. He will be representing Cayman in the 200-metre dash and the 4x100-metre relay.
The only athlete to be taking to the infield for Cayman will be Michael Letterlough, who will be taking part in the hammer throw and discuss competitions. Letterlough holds the Cayman National Records in discuss and hammer throw, and took bronze and silver medals in these events at the Island Games last year.
The squad will be accompanied by Coach Kenrick Williams and Manager Rayle Roberts.
The Athletes making their debut at these Games are amongst a group of gifted athletes identified by the Association as ideal prospects for both the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games scheduled to be staged in Beijing, China and London, England, respectively.
Most of the team is scheduled to depart the Island on the 12 March at 1:00 pm. Both Kareem Streete-Thompson and Cydonie Mothersill will however depart from various points in the USA a few days earlier in order to complete their preparation for the Games. The scheduled return date for the squad is 24 March at 12:00 pm.
The 2006 Commonwealth Games will take place from 15 March to 26 March in Melbourne, Australia.