BUDAPEST, Hungary, CMC – Anderson Peters and Keshorn Walcott, the two leading javelin throwers in the Caribbean, will not be in the final of the World Championships on Friday in Hungary.
Peters, the two-time defending champion from the Spice Isle of Grenada, failed to qualify after finishing seventh in Group A of the qualifying competition during the morning session of the Championships.
The 25-year-old Peters struggled in the past three months leading into the Championships and hurled the spear 78.49 meters, way below his personal best of 93.07 meters and his season’s best of 85.88m at the World Athletics Diamond League meet on May 5 in Doha.
Walcott, the 2012 Olympic champion from Trinidad & Tobago, suffered an Achilles injury while warming up before he participated in the same group and was a non-starter for the event that attracted 37 competitors.
T&T team officials indicated that Walcott, 30, hurt his Achilles and was seeking medical treatment to determine the severity of his injury.
Neeraj Chopra of India led Group A and the qualifiers with a one-and-done hurl of 88.77, and he is the solid favorite to top the podium in the final on Sunday. In contrast, Arshad Nadeem of Pakistan led Group B with a measurement of 86.79 on his last attempt and had the second-longest distance in the qualifiers.
Meanwhile, Lamara Distin of Jamaica was one of five leapers to clear 1.92 meters and qualify for the final of the women’s high jump.
Distin, the Commonwealth Games champion, defied her form this season and cleared the height on her first attempt.
She started with a clearance of 1.80m and 1.85m on her first attempts before she stepped up to soar over 1.89 on her second attempt.
Her teammate Kimberley Williamson was eliminated after a season’s best clearance of 1.85 on her third attempt at the height – but she failed on all three attempts at 1.92.
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