Edwin Allen 'speed twins' to go pro, join MVP, according to report
The Clayton twins - Tia (r) and Tina (l) with eight-time Olympic gold medallist and 100m and 200m world record holder Usain Bolt after their 1-2 finish in the 100m at the 49th edition of the Carifta Games at the National Stadium in Kingston in April.
Edwin Allen High School speed twins – Tina and Tia Clayton – will go pro and join the MVP Track Club, according to a report published in the Jamaica Observer.
The twins, who turn 18 on August 17, have been standout high school athletes for the past few years with Tina developing more quickly than her sister Tia over the past couple of seasons.
Both were members of Jamaica’s 4x100m team that set a world record 42.94s at the World U20 Champions in Nairobi, Kenya last year. Both were also members of the team that ran 42.58, a world record at the 2022 Carifta Games held at the National Stadium in Kingston in April. However, that time was not ratified by World Athletics when Jamaican authorities failed to test Tia, who had won the 100m title the night before.
At the National Championships at the end of June, Tina, the World U20 100m, set a new national U20 record of 10.96, breaking the previous record of 10.97 set by Tokyo Olympic gold relay medallist Briana Williams.
Tia, the Carifta Games silver medallist, who was third at the national championships boasts a personal best of 11.25.
Sources indicate that on the basis of the incredible performance by Tina at the national championships several potential sponsors were chasing their signatures but according to a report in the Jamaica Observer, one of those companies managed to move ahead of the rest and seal a deal that will see the girls ending their respective impressive high school careers.
At MVP, Tina and Tia Clayton will most likely be under the guidance of Stephen Francis, who has enjoyed tremendous success over the past decade with two-time Olympic champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Elaine Thompson-Herah, the only woman to win the 100/200m double at consecutive Olympic Games.
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Delwayne Delaney, President of St. Kitts Athletics, emphasized the importance of this appointment for the organization and the sport as a whole. “We felt that it was important for us as a body and as an executive, and track and field on a whole, to honour him in such a way, first and foremost, as well as to leverage what he has done for track and field in St. Kitts and Nevis and globally so that we can attain recognition in hopes of attaining sponsorships. We are living in a competitive environment as it relates to sponsorships, and we have to be strategic in our approach," Delaney said.
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Ja's Cavalier, Haiti's Real Hope confirm Carib Cup semis berths with 4-1 and 2-0 wins over Arnett Gardens, Mount Pleasant
Jamaica’s Cavalier FC and Haitian outfit Real Hope FC confirmed their spots in the Concacaf Caribbean Cup semi-finals after comfortable 4-1 and 2-0 wins over Jamaican clubs Arnett Gardens and Mount Pleasant FA in their final Group A fixtures on Thursday.
A brace from Jalmaro Calvin (35th and 71st) and one each from Shaquille Stein (29th) and Dwayne ‘Busy’ Atkinson (59th) brought Cavalier from behind to top Arnett Gardens, who took an early ninth-minute lead through captain Shai Smith.
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