Odean Skeen
WOLMER'S Boys school outstanding young sprinter Odean Skeen will be one of thirteen Jamaicans who will represent the Americas team at the first staging of the World Youth Olympic Games, which is scheduled to take place in Singapore between August 14-26 with track and field set for August 14-23.

Skeen, the Carifta Under-17 100 and 200 metres champion at the Carifta Games in The Cayman Islands in April, will be one of several athletes from the Americas team who are world leaders. Skeen is a leader in both the 100 and 200 metres and he broke the 200 metres record at the Carifta Games in the Under-17 category with a time of 20.84 seconds.

Some 120 athletes will comprise the Americas team with the United States having the most members with 20, while Brazil will see 15 members from their country on the team, with Cuba having 11 representatives.

Other world leaders from the Americas team are Yandon Ferrill, Lismania Munoz from Cuba and Gabrielle Cumberbatch from Trinidad and Tobago.

leading men

Ferril leads in the boys 100 metre hurdles with 13.45 seconds, while Munoz leads in the javelin with 55.68 metres. Cumberbatch is the leader in the girls 400 metre hurdles with 59.24 seconds.

The other Jamaicans on the team are Julian Forte (100M), Lennox Williams (400M), Stephen Fennel (100MH), Ashini Miller (shot put), Fredrick Dacres (discus) and for the females Shericka Jackson (200M), Olivia James (400M), Megan Simmonds (100MH), Shanice Hall (high jump), Jeneive Russell (long jump), Rochelle Farquharson (triple jump) and Sasha-Gaye Marston (discus).

The athletes were selected by the IAAF based on their performances at NCAC meets in April with the Carifta Games in the Cayman Islands being used to select those from countries like Jamaica, Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago.

Below are the countries that will represent the Americas team:

Netherland Antilles, Antigua & Barbuda, Argentina, Bahamas, Barbados, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Cayman Islands, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Grenada, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Puerto Rico, Trinidad & Tobago and USA.