Keshorn Walcott will be on centre stage at the newly refurbished Hasely Crawford Stadium (HCS) today, opening day of the NGC NAAATT National Open Championships.

Walcott should not have any problems in his bid for yet another national men’s javelin title. The 2012 Olympic champion, however, would be keen to put on a good show at the Port of Spain venue.

Walcott is preparing for next month’s World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary. He has been consistent on the Road to Budapest, bettering the 80-metre mark in each of his seven outings this season.

Walcott’s best 2023 throw to date is 85.85 metres, produced on June 17 in Kuortane, Finland. The highpoint for the season, however, came on July 6 in San Salvador, El Salvador, where he retained his Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games title with an 83.60 effort.

The NGC NAAATT National Open Championship men’s javelin event is scheduled to start at five o’clock this afternoon. Jamaica-based teenagers Dorian Charles and Le Bron James are also in the field.

Michelle-Lee Ahye is the favourite for women’s 100 metres gold. Missing from the start list is rising star Leah Bertrand. The reigning champion was granted an exemption so she could fulfil a school commitment. Bertrand is a student at Ohio State University in the USA.

In Bertrand’s absence, the main challenger for Ahye is expected to be Akilah Lewis. Also listed for the semi-final round are Reyare Thomas and Taejha Badal.

The men’s 100m title will also be decided today. Eric Harrison is hoping to make a successful defence of his title. Among the men hoping to dethrone Harrison are Omari Lewis, Kyle Greaux, Kion Benjamin, Carlon Hosten, Devin Augustine, Jerod Elcock, and the Farinha twins, Nathan and Jonathan.

The men’s 400m will feature Che Lara, Ohdel James, veteran Renny Quow, Shakeem McKay, Joshua St Clair and Asa Guevara. Missing from the start list is Machel Cedenio, the national record holder in the event at 44.01 seconds.

Hezekiel Romeo is tipped for gold in the men’s shot put. Tyra Gittens is the favourite in the women’s long jump. And Nicholas Landeau would be tough to beat in the men’s 1500m.

The first event at the Crawford Stadium today, the men’s hammer throw, starts at 11am. A break will follow, before the Championships are officially opened at 2pm.

Jereem “The Dream” Richards will be the headline act on day two of the Championships, tomorrow. The reigning Commonwealth Games men’s 200m champion will line up in that event at the HCS. Ahye is expected to feature in the women’s 200.