Juniors eye future perfect

FRANCE, July 27: When the junior athletic stars take to the track here tomorow for the start of their World Championships, they will be d...

FRANCE, July 27: When the junior athletic stars take to the track here tomorow for the start of their World Championships, they will be dreaming that this is just the first step on their way to becoming the next generation of Ato Boldon, Haile Gebrselassies and Daniel Komens.

In a picturesque town that first became famous for producing some of the earliest evidence proving the existence of Neolithic Man 4000 BC, the next week will be not about the past but all about the future and hopefully provide some pointers towards the Sydney Olympics in 2000.

The 7th cjunior World Championships, for which athletes not yet 19 on January one are eligible, will have to go some way to out-perform the 1992 edition in Seoul, where current 200 metres senior champion, Boldon and 10,000 m title-holder Gebrselassie, who both took two titles apiece, and ace Cuban triple jumper, Yoelvis Quesada announced their arrivals on the international scene. World 5,000 metres champion, Komen did the double in Lisbon in 1994.

In thisyear8217;s competition perhaps most attention will be centred on the 100 metres where a battle royal should be fought out between two American girls.Their national champion Angela Williams will have to face down the challenge of the girl she beat into second place at the USA National Junior Championships, Shakedia Jones if she is to claim the title that evaded the current sprint queen of world senior athletics, Marion Jones in Seoul in 1992.

Both Williams and Shakedia Jones could blossom into real challengers for Marion8217;s title if they can replicate their achievements as juniors, for both have run 11.11s for the 100 metres which is better than what Marion ran when she was in the junior ranks.

However, both girls should be acutely aware for every Marion Jones there are hundreds of top class juniors who have stalled in their senior careers such as baby8217; Nikole Mitchell, the Jamaican who beat Jones in Seoul, or indeed Hu Ling of China, who beat Jones into seventh 8211; with Australia8217;s current 400 metres Worldchampion, Cathy Freeman in second 8211; in the 200 m.

Shakedia Jones will double up in the 200 metres and there her main opposition should be from the host nation France, in the shape of Muriel Hurtis, who has run the same personal best time as the American and will be hoping to give France another success following in the footsteps of their World Cup footballers.

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In the men8217;s competition all eyes will be on Australian pole-vaulter Paul Burgess as he attempts to become only the second man to successfully defend his junior title, which he won before his home crowd in Sydney in 1996. By contrast four women have retained their titles.

The Aussie, though, will face a tough task as Germany8217;s European champion Lara Borgeling has a personal best of 5.62 metres while Burgess stands at 5.60m.

People may sniff and say this is a pointless exercise and just another chance for IAAF president, Primo Nebiolo to attend another opening ceremony and give another speech.

But without his and his body8217;s support there wouldbe little chance of athletics developing in the third world and thereby giving their young athletes that one inviolate feeling 8211; the ability to dream and compete at atleast one World Championships, even if it is at junior level.