Holmwood's Chrisann Gordon

HOLMWOOD Technical outstanding quarter-miler, Chris Ann Gordon, will be strongly challenged this weekend in the Girls' Under-20 400 metres at the Supreme Ventures Limited JAAA National Junior Championships.

After a disappointing run in Moncton two years ago, where she failed to be among the medals in the one-lap event after reaching the final, Gordon will be hoping to do much better this time around. But first, she will have to qualify this weekend by finishing in the top two.

Vere Technical's Olivia James, the World Youth bronze medallist in the event last year, and former Manchester High athlete Sandrae Farqhuarson, who represented the country in 2009 at the World Youth Championships, now based overseas, will be her main rivals.

Gordon, ranked number two in the world last year as a junior with 51.82 seconds, has been plagued by injuries this season as she did not finish the 400m event at the Carifta Trials or the ISSA Boys and Girls' Championships. However, at the JAAA All-Comers meet a week ago, she showed that she was getting back to good form with a low 54-seconds clocking.

top junior female

But James, who defeated Gordon at the Carifta Games in Jamaica last year, and in the preliminary round of the 400 metres at the Carifta Trials, will be gunning to get the better of Gordon again.

Several years ago, Farqhuarson was one of the top junior female quarter-milers in the country, but her career has also been hampered by injuries. Over the past two years, however, she has been getting back to her best. Now competing for Medgar Evans College Prep in New York, she was a member of the victorious Team Bickle 4x400 metres team that won the event at the Gibson Relays in February, where she did the anchor leg.