Athletics: IAAF World Youth Championships-Renaud fails to complete 400m race |15 July 2005

In the historic city of Marrakesh, Morocco, Renaud, whose automatic clocking personal best is 49.65 seconds, got into the blocks but did not complete the race for reasons not yet known to Sports Nation.

It is to note that Renaud was a gold medallist over 400 metres during last year’s Commission de la Jeunesse et des Sports de l’Océan indien (CJSOI) athletics competition in Reunion and took fifth place during last month’s AAC Southern Region Youth Track and Field Championship in South Africa with a time of 49.65 seconds.

South African Willem de Beer won heat number 8 in a time of 48.49 seconds to qualify for the semifinals along with second place finisher Christian Santiago of Puerto Rico with 48.71 seconds.

Running in heat number five, Kenyan Julius Kirwa clocked a personal best 47.35 seconds which was also the fastest qualifying time. He will run in third heat in the semifinals.

Sudanese Adam Mohamed Al-Nour came into the championships with the fastest time of 46.75 seconds but clocked 47.38 seconds for first place in heat number three. In the semifinals, Al-Nour will run in heat number one along with American Zach Chandy who stopped the clock at 47.90 seconds in heat number seven in the qualifiers despite his personal best being 46.75 seconds.

The top two finishers in each of the eight heats automatically qualified for the semifinals along with another eight athletes with the fastest times.

It is to note that Malagasy Philippe Sébastien Djaovazaha clocked 49.18 seconds in the first heat won by American Bryshoin Nellum in 47.90 seconds.

As for Hazeron Etienne, he was expected in action yesterday in the high jump qualifiers for a place in tomorrow’s final.

Etienne, whose personal best is 2.05m, won the high jump silver medal with a bar of 1.95m at last month’s AAC Southern Region Youth Track and Field Championship in South Africa.

G. G.