"Khalifa is fearless in a way that I've never seen a young female sprinter, so she goes out there and has fun and truly enjoys it. That's championship pedigree."

Ato Boldon was high in praise for Khalifa St Fort, the 17-year-old sprinter he steered to girls' 100 metres silver at the IAAF World Youth Championships in Cali, Colombia.

Boldon is no stranger to the global stage. He has four Olympic medals, and is the 1997 200m world champion. But on Thursday night, the retired track star experienced a global final as a coach for the very first time.

"New territory for me man," Boldon told the Express.

"I was nervous for that first round like never before, but she was so calm and assured she reassured me. Plus she was waving and smiling and talking to people before the race, so I said ok if she is that calm I should be too."

Boldon was very proud of his young charge.

"To be quite honest I am getting way too much credit for her progress. She is that good. She just needed someone to see it, believe In her and stop making her feel like she wasn't good enough compared to other athletes who were better known or higher rated. For me to be able to contribute to what she has done is amazing, because it's so unexpected. I never planned to be here, but I'm glad God put me here, because she has made my year!"

In Thursday's final, American-born St Fort clocked 11.19 seconds, her third T&T under-18 record in the space of nine hours. She clocked 11.39 in the first round, and then bettered her national standard with an 11.24 run in the semis. It took an 11.08 seconds Championship record run from American world youth record holder Candace Hill to deny St Fort the global title.

"Khalifa has been under-appreciated, under-coached, under-valued and under-rated for the past two years, so my surprise is not the times. I told her father she would run 11.2 when we started training last year. In practice I can see she is actually on course to run 11.0. She has had awful luck with no tailwinds at all in any of her big races since she has been ready to roll. The 11.19 was with no wind whatsoever.

"My plan," Boldon declared, "doesn't involve getting her ready for April or May. It involves getting her ready for July and August. The surprise for me was how well she performs under pressure. At 17!? She was up against the fastest girl in history, and her attitude was she will have to run her best race ever to beat me, which is what happened. Candace's time with no wind is superior to her 10.98 with a 2.0."

St Fort's 11.19 scorcher is 14-hundredths of a second faster than the 11.33 IAAF World Championship qualifying standard. Boldon said he wants the talented teen to represent the Red, White and Black at the August 22-30 World Champs in Beijing, China.

"I am going to officially ask Monday that she be sent to Beijing, even though it will be a little complicated with school. I don't think she should go just because of the times she ran and because only Kelly-Ann Baptiste and Michelle-Lee Ahye have run faster. I think she should go because it's an investment in arguably the best young female sprinter we have ever had.

"She is ready," Coach Ato continued, "her confidence is sky high and she is hungry. I had to tell her she could not practice today (Saturday), but we are back to work on Sunday (yesterday). She can run 11.0 with a tailwind and she has nothing to lose and everything to gain by being in Beijing in terms of experience and big stage reps."

Boldon added that St Fort will enhance T&T's chances in the women's 4x100m relay.

"As people saw from Colombia she will not be overwhelmed by the occasion. The women have done well in semi-finals and not so much in finals. I would like to be given a chance to fix that. They'll be medal contenders in Beijing, Khalifa or not, but Khalifa can make that team better. Khalifa on that relay is an investment in the country's future, and the start of ending our Olympic drought on the women's side."

No female athlete from T&T has ever achieved a podium finish at the Olympic Games. Boldon believes that statistic could change at the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

"Next year might be a bit early for an individual Olympic medal (from Khalifa) at 18, but relay definitely. I think Kelly-Ann and Michelle are capable of ending the Olympic female drought individually, but if not, Khalifa is the one, in Tokyo 2020 when she will be 22. I was that age," Boldon ended, "when I ended the drought from 1976-96."

St Fort's silver was T&T's only medal at the 2015 IAAF World Youth Championships. It ended a 10-year drought at the global under-18 meet, and earned the country joint-26th spot on the medal table, with Austria, Norway, Poland and Turkey.

United States finished first with eight gold medals, five silver and six bronze, while Kenya (five gold, four silver, four bronze) and Japan (three gold, one silver, one bronze) were second and third, respectively. Jamaica, with one gold medal, were joint-16th, with Ecuador, Moldova, Romania and Switzerland.

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Sunday 19th^h, Toronto, Canada– Cyclist, reigning Pan Am record holder, and silver medallist in last nights Sprint event, Njisane Phillips just missed out on the chance to add to Trinidad and Tobago’s medal haul at this year’s PanAm Games. Phillips finished 5^th in the men’s Kierin event. His training partner and Men’s Sprint gold medallist Canadian Hugo Barett claimed bronze, while Columbian Fabian Puerto took the gold, with silver going to Venezuelan Hersony Canelon. Phillips will now turn his focus onto qualification for the Rio 2016 Olympics.

Over in Beach Volleyball, the women’s duo of Davidson and Dyette lost their 13^th-14^th round matchup against Guatemala in straight sets.  The men’s duo Whitfield and Williams will be back in action against Venezuela tomorrow in the 9^th -10^th round match.

Golf competition ended today with Monifa Sealy placing 22^nd and Christina Ferreira placing 26^th out of thirty competitors. On the men’s side, Talin Rajendranath and Sachin Kumar placed 24th and 25^th respectively out of thirty-one competitors. In the mixed team event featuring all four golfers, Trinidad and Tobago placed 15^th out of sixteen teams.

The medal hunt for Trinidad and Tobago will continue on Monday in Boxing and Taekwondo. In boxing, Chimere Taylor will face Guillen Benitez of the Dominic Republic. Taylor has faced Benitez before and this will be a rematch of one of her qualifying bouts but she will need to win to continue advancing.

In Taekwondo, 2014 CAC bronze medal holder Dorian Alexander will face Columbian Miguel Trejos in the men’s 68kg Contest. Alexander is also a doctor and describes his life growing up as “school, study and train.” Despite working 12-30 hours days in New York where he’s based, Alexander trains anywhere from two to four hours a day, six days a week with former Olympian Lenn Hypolite. Alexander says he wants the gold medal and credits his faith with sustaining him thus far.

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The second leg of the 13th annual Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee's Olympic Youth Camp kicked off today at Olympic House, 121 Abercromby street, Port of Spain. The inclement weather did not put a damper on the popular camp which will be running from the 20th - 25th July, 2015.

The theme this year ‘10Golds24', intends to encourage youngsters in the 11 to 14 age group to Strive for Excellence in their sporting discipline, but aims to encourage participants to remember that 'the most important thing is not to win but to take part'. Each day the athletes will be exposed to the Olympic Principles of Fair Play, Respect for Others, Joy of Effort, Pursuit of Excellence and Balance between Body, Will and Mind.

Guest Facilitators will present on Doping in Sports,  Critical Thinking, Media and Sports Psychology. Athletes from various sporting disciplines will also be given the opportunity to be leaders as they will be demonstrating and teaching key elements of their respective sport to their fellow campers in Hockey, Badminton, Football , Taekwando, Cycling, Triathlon, Archery and Volleyball.

The closing of the TTOC Youth Camp will be fashioned after the opening ceremony of an Olympic Games with the next Olympics to be held in the city of Rio De janeiro, Brazil from the 5th - 25th August, 2016.

Saturday 18th^h, Toronto, Canada– Men’s sprint cyclist, three-time Pan American Junior Games Gold Medallist; and reigning Pan Am record holder Njisane Phillip, won Trinidad & Tobago it’s second medal of this year’s PanAm Games.  He claimed the silver medal in the finals of the Men’s Sprint losing to his training partner, Canadian Hugo Barrett.

Following the race Phillip said, “I think this was a great performance. I didn’t get the gold and I’m a bit disappointed but I think I executed my rides perfectly today. All that I had in my body I left it out there so I’m happy about that, and was able to better my bronze from 2011, so maybe in 4 years I can better the medal colour and break my record.”

As medallists Phillip will join George Bovell in receiving monetary bonuses from the Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee for their performances. The medal bonus programme is an essential component of “TenGolds24,” the ten or more Olympic Gold medals by 2024 Athlete Welfare and Preparation Fund launched by the TTOC last year.  Phillip will receive US$2000.

Of the fund Phillip said, “It’s good because now it’s not just the medal on the line, or pride on the line. You have something else to go for and a lot of athletes will step up to the game.”

Phillip will compete in the Keirin tomorrow and hopes to add to Trinidad and Tobago’s medal count. He was 7^th in that event in the London 2012 Olympics, where he captured the world’s attention finishing 4^th in the Men’s Sprint. Following the games, he will turn his attention to Olympic qualification. Phillip said, “I have five races to get the points done. Pan Am Championships will also be points so I have a month and a half to get ready but I’ve been training with a new team and they’ve helped me tremendously so I think I’ll be ready. I’m just really happy my PanAm record holds and I can keep it for another four years.”

On the water sailor Kelly Ann Arrindell placed 5^th in the Women’s Laser Radial Event. This is an impressive showing from a mostly self-trained young lady who just completed her A-levels, and has been taking part in events for practice and training.  The International Sailing Federation currently ranks Arrindell 206 in the world, and coming into the Pan Am Games her highest placing was 9^th at the Cork OCR (Olympic Classes Regatta) in Kingston, Canada.

Her compatriot, national Laser Class champion Andrew Lewis finished 7^th overall and has qualified for the Rio 2016 Olympic games. Lewis is the sixth “seaman” to represent Trinidad and Tobago in yachting/sailing in Olympic history, and was the only English speaking laser sailor from the Caribbean at the London 2012 Olympics.  Lewis eventually place 37^th out of 40 competitors in London, and gained recognition following the games for a daring solo, wind-aid-only dinghy sail from Pigeon Point, Tobago, to Maracas Beach, Trinidad. He completed that journey in 11hours and 52 minutes.

Over in Beach Volleyball, the men’s duo of Williams and Whitfield won their 9^th -12^th round matchup against Nicaragua 2 sets to 1. The women’s duo of Davidson and Dyette will next play Guatemala on Sunday.

In field hockey, the men’s team lost their game against the United States 2-1. In football action, the men’s team suffered a disappointing loss to Paraguay 5-1, while the women warriors lost today’s must win match against Mexico 3-1.

Out on the golf course Monifa Sealy, ended the third round ranked 19^th while Christina Ferreira was ranked 22nd. On the men’s side, Talin Rajendranath is currently ranked 27^th after the third round of play, while Sachin Kumar is ranked 19^th. In the mixed team event featuring all four golfers, Trinidad and Tobago is currently ranked 14^th.  Golf continues tomorrow.

Sprint cyclist Njisane Phillip landed Trinidad and Tobago’s second medal of the Pan American Games last evening when he copped silver in the match sprint final in Toronto, Canada.

Phillip’s silver improved on ace swimmer George Bovell’s bronze in the men’s 50 metre freestyle final on Friday night.

Yesterday at the cycling velodrome, Olympian Phillip went down in straight rides to Canadian Hugo Barrette in the final, but had progressed there by beating Brazil’s Flavio Cipriano in straight rides in their semi-final match-up earlier yesterday. Phillip won the first ride in 10.711 seconds before returning to take the second ride-off in 10.761. He also registered a straight-rides success over Canada’s Joseph Veloce in their quarter-final duel on Friday night.

Taking third was Venezuela’s Hersony Canelon who beat Cipriano also in straight rides.

On Friday, Bovell clocked 22.17 seconds, but the USA’s Josh Schneider won gold in 21.86, with Bruno Fratus of Brazil taking silver in 21.91.

T&T’s other swimmer, Dylan Carter, won the B final in 22. 39 seconds after losing a swim-off against Puerto Rico’s Erik Risolvato for the final spot in the men’s A final after both men were tied for eighth position going into the final.

It was also a productive day at the beach for T&T’s women volleyballers Ayana Dyette and Malika Davidson. They defeated the Cayman Islands’ Chante Smith-Johnson and Lleann Powery 21-18, 21-18, for a 2-0 straight set victory in a playoff to decide positions 13 through 16. They now face Guatemala to decide 13th position at 10 a.m. today.

And the men’s pair of Fabien Whitfield and Daneil Williams missed out on a medal spot when they were defeated 21-16, 21-9 by Mexico’s Juan Virgen and Rodolfo Ontiveros in their quarter-final contest on Friday. Whitfield and Williams rebounded to beat Nicaragua’s Dany Lopez Alvarado and Reuben Mora Romero, 23-21, 17-21, 15-13, for a 2-1 win in a playoff match for positions 9th-12th. They face Venezuela tomorrow for ninth place.

In field hockey action, T&T’s men team suffered a narrow 2-1 loss at the hands of the USA in a Pool MA preliminary round match. William Holt gave the Americans the lead in the sixth minute and Alex Grassi made it 2-0 in the 13th before Ishmael Campbell pulled a goal back for T&T a minute later.

T&T’s Under-22 male footballers were beaten 5-1 by Paraguay late on Friday after midfielder Nathaniel Garcia gave them the lead in the 53rd minute of the match. The South Americans responded with goals from striker Carlos Ferreira (63rd & 71st), who came on as a substitute in the 56th minute, Ivan Ramirez (65th), Derlis Alegre (76th) and Arturo Aranda in the 79th.

T&T’s women footballers also went down 3-1 to Mexico and thus were denied a place in the semi-finals.

Stephany Mayor got a double in the first half for the Central Americans, But Mariah Shade replied six minutes into the second half before Monica Ocampo restored Mexico’s two-goal advantage in the 70th minute.

And in action on the water, T&T’s sailors Kelly-Ann Arrindell and Andrew Lewis had mixed fortunes. Arrindell captured top spot in the Women’s laser radial class medal race to pick up two race points but it was not enough to get her on the podium as her combined total of 72 points saw her finish joint fifth with Lucia Falasca of Argentina.

USA’s Paige Riley won gold with a total of 50 points, with silver going to Dolores Moreira of Uruguay while Brazil’s Fernanda Demetrio took bronze.

In the medal race of the Men’s laser, Lewis finished eighth and picked up 16 race points in the process to finish with a combined total of 90 which was good enough for seventh position overall.

Guatemala’s Juan Maegli won gold with a combined low score of 39 points with Robert Scheidt of Brazil capturing silver and Canada’s Lee Parkhill collecting bronze.

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