Four Canes Ready for IAAF World Juniors
Photo credit: Kermit Taylor/Bahamas Athletics
EUGENE, Ore. – The University of Miami track and field program will have a significant presence at the 2014 IAAF World Junior Championships.
Current Canes Shakima Wimbley and Gian Piero Ragonesi will make up half of the Miami contingent in Eugene, Ore., while signees Henri Delauze and Ian Kerr round out the quartet of Hurricanes competing at the World Junior Championships. Additionally, Miami associate head coach Cory Young will be on Team USA’s coaching staff, guiding the women’s throwers.
Wimbley is part of Team USA’s 89-member roster for the 8th IAAF World Junior Championships, earning one of six spots in Team USA’s 4x400m relay pool. Wimbley recently competed at the USATF Junior Outdoor Championships, placingthird in the women’s 400m final with a time of 52.55 seconds. The women’s 4x400m relay heats are scheduled for July 26 beginning at 6:35 p.m. ET.
Ragonesi will represent Italy in the throws. As a freshman, qualified for the NCAA East Preliminary where he posted a personal-best mark of 55.47m, which ranks second in school history. An All-ACC selection after finishing third in the shot put at the ACC Indoor Championships, Ragonesi ranks second in school history in the indoor shot put and discus, while claiming the third-best outdoor shot put, hammer throw and weight throw marks in UM history. Ragonesi will compete in the shot put on July 24 at 1:15 p.m. ET and in the men’s discus on July 25.
Delauze is a talented sprinter from Freeport, Bahamas, who was a 2013 CARIFTA Under-17 400m finalist and 4x400m gold medalist. In 2013, Delauze became the Island Sports Champion and record holder, and High School National Champion and record holder (under 17 – 48.53sec). Delauze was also a member of two junior national teams, representing the Bahamas at CARIFTA and the World Youth Championships. Set to compete in the men’s 400m, Delauze will hit the track on July 22 at 8:35 p.m. ET.
Kerr, who attended Queens College in Nassau, Bahamas, was the 2014 BAAA National Champion in the 200m and was the runner-up in the 100m. Kerr also represented the Bahamas at the 2013 IAAF World Youth Championships. Kerr will represent the Bahamas in the men’s 200m, scheduled for 1:45 p.m. ET on July 24.
The 2014 IAAF World Junior Championships will be streamed live via webcast. It will be the largest IAAF event ever contested on U.S. soil. A total of 177 national federations, from Algeria to Zimbabwe, have expressed their intent to compete at the six-day track and field meet where more than 1,750 athletes under the age of 20 are expected to participate.
The 2014 IAAF World Junior Championships will be held from July 22-27 at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore. The 2014 edition of the IAAF World Junior Championships marks the first time the event has ever been held in the United States.
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