Anthony Foster, Freelance Writer

Latoya McDermott (left) finishes fourth in the preliminary round of the women's 400m in 54.62 seconds on yesterday's opening day of the 12th IAAF World Championships in Bydgoszcz, Poland. McDermott will run in today's semi-finals. - photo by Anthony Foster

BYDGOSZCZ, Poland:

IT WAS a tough opening day for Jamaica at the 12th IAAF World Junior Championships here yesterday.

Of the 11 athletes in action, only sprinters Yohan Blake and Dexter Lee, along with quarter-miler Latoya McDermott and long jumper Tarik Batchelor (with 7.36 metres) made any headway.

And even though Lee and McDermott made it to the next round, they waited with bated breath as they did not secure automatic spots.

Lee, Blake and Batchelor are now in the gold- medal rounds. Lee bounced back after a disappointing first round to finish second in semi-final one of the 100m in 10.42 seconds and admitted misjudging the first round.

Eased up

"I was in lane one and could not see, but eased up," Lee said.

In the semi-finals, he was more happy and said, "It's a good time (10.42)."

For the final today, Lee, who ran 10.65 in the preliminary round, said: "I am just going out there to do my best and hope it will pay off.

"I have 10.2 if I get a better lane," said Lee, who ran out of lane one in the preliminary rounds and semi-finals.

Meanwhile, Blake had few problems in his two rounds. He took his preliminary heat in 10.56 and the semi-final in 10.42.

Feeling great

"I am feeling great," was Blake's reaction after the semi-final. "I am feeling very good right now," he said while saying he eased down after 60m.

"My coach is looking at the record (national junior) and I think it can be achieved if I go out there and do what he says," Blake, who ran 10.11 for the national junior record at the CARIFTA Games in Turks and Caicos in 2007, said.

"I am looking to run crazy in the final," he promised, despite having the joint third-fastest time behind American Terrell Wilks (10.37) and South African Wilhelm van der Vyver (10.38).

On the female side, 100m sprinters Kaycea Jones and Shawna Anderson reached the semi-finals as fastest losers but failed to book spots in the final.

Jones, who ran 11.89 in the heats, returned 11.86 for sixth in semi-final three, while Anderson, who recorded 11.83 in the morning, closed out with 11.84.

Unhappy

Jones said: "It was just not my day today because I know I could have done better."

Anderson, similar to Jones, was also unhappy.

"I guess it's just another disappointment," she said while blaming it on her finish.

However, both girls are eager to make up for their performances in the sprint relay.

In the women's 400m, McDermott, the World Youth silver medallist, was Jamaica's only qualifier.

McDermott clocked 54.62 seconds for fifth in heat three to advance as one of the fastest losers to today's semi-finals.

"I wasn't happy with my time, but I am very happy that I advanced to the semi-finals," said McDermott.

Not fast enough

Antonique Campbell, winner of the event at the trials, also finished fifth in her heat (one), but her time of 56.27 was not fast enough to put her in the second round.

Racheal Nachula of Zambia, who won McDermott's heat, had the fastest time of 52.65 going into the second round.

On the men's side, neither Kevin Williams nor Akino Ming advanced. Williams was fourth in his heat in 48.42 while Ming finished eighth in heat four in 49.08.

In the middle distances, Kemoy Campbell (4:02.80) and Natoya Goule (2:09.55) failed to advance in the men's and women's 1,500m and 800m respectively.

"That (time) is so slow," said Goule. "They bad run (jostled) me at the 200m mark."

On today's second day, André Peart, in the men's 400m hurdles, and Nikita Tracey, and Shana-Gaye Tracey in the women's event, will also grace the track.