Three Saint Lucian athletes took to the track on Tuesday at the Alexander Stadium in Birmingham, England, where the Commonwealth Games are being hosted.
Julien Alfred registered 11.24 seconds in the Women’s 100m to win Heat 7, and earned a spot in the Semifinals on Wednesday at 19:35 hrs.
Stephan Charles clocked 10.29 seconds to place third in the Men’s 100m Heat and is through to the Semifinals on Wednesday at 19:26 hrs.
Meanwhile, Delan Edwin placed third in the Men’s 100m Heat,clocking a time of 10:42 seconds, but, unfortunately missed out on a spot in the Semifinals. However, he gets another shot at a podium finish as he competes in the Men’s 200m Heats on Thursday.
Commenting moments after her impressive run on Tuesday, Alfred said: “I feel good. I just have some more stuff to work on, but we’ll get it. I’m taking one race at a time, and, hopefully, be better at every round.”
She added: “I’m just feeling calm, happy that I got this race out my legs and so it’s going to prepare me for the next round.”
Alfred, 21, won gold at the Commonwealth Youth Games in 2017 and is hoping to clinch gold in Birmingham as a senior. As for what her fans can expect at the Commonwealth Games, she said: “I’m hoping to do my very best, and, hopefully, bring home a medal.”
Meanwhile, other Saint Lucian athletes competing on Wednesday are:
- Light heavyweight boxer Arthur Langelier (Quarterfinal Round) against Yusuf Lucasi Changalawe (Republic of Tanzania) at 15:45 hrs.
- DeAndre Calderon (Table Tennis, Men’s Singles Group Stage Round 1) against Jamaica’s Kane Watson at 16:35 hrs and then against Malaysia’s Chee Feng Leong at 18:20 hrs.
- Michael Joseph’s Men’s 400m Round 1 Heat 6 is on at 13:00 hrs.
- Sandisha Antoine’s Women’s Triple Jump Prelims should be on today, Wednesday, but that event may have gone directly to Finals.
Chef de Mission, Joyce Huxley, noted: “Wow — what a day! The atmosphere in the Alexander Stadium was electric as the 100m Heats went underway. Delan was first off and finished third in his heat with a time of 10.42s, just missing a spot in the semi-finals. However, he will seek his revenge in the 200m event on Thursday. Stephan finished in 10.29s, securing his spot in today’s semi-finals, while Julien easily won her heat, cruising home in 11.24s to ensure that she is well-placed to forward to the semi-finals. As always, the athletes enjoyed the strong support of their team-mates.
“The swimmers, Mikaili and Jayhan, as well as Coach David Peterkin, have already left Birmingham, but the action continues with Boxing, Table Tennis and Athletics in the next few days. The athletes are all very upbeat and focused on the job in hand, while enjoying the facilities at the two Athlete Villages. We have the Boxing and Table Tennis Teams based at CGN, which is the Hilton Hotel adjacent to the Birmingham National Exhibition Centre (NEC). This venue allows the team members to walk to their training and competitions which are all staged in Exhibition Halls at the NEC — no need for long bus transfers. The Athletics and Swimming Teams have been based at CGB, the Campus of the University of Birmingham, with everyone housed in the on-site student accommodations. The campus has a track and swimming pool for training, while the competition venues are located less than 30 minutes away.
“Both venues have full support for the athletes, with 24-hour dining, medical facilities, massage and ice baths, and a team of willing volunteers in place to ensure that all their needs are met. We have a happy team!”
Please note that all times listed are in UK time, which are five hours ahead of Eastern Caribbean Time (ECT).
