By RENALDO DORSETT

Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

WHILE many of the country’s elite athletes descend on Glasgow, Scotland, for the XX Commonwealth Games, the Bahamas’ top junior athletes open competition today at the 15th IAAF World Junior Championships.

Eleven of the Bahamas’ 24 member team at the biannual meet are expected to compete today at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon.

In the morning session, the heats of the men’s 100m hurdles will be first up on the schedule for the Bahamas at 2pm local time, with Kirk Lewis (13.90s SB) and Xavier Coakley (14.00s SB) contesting the event.

At 3:50pm, the men’s 100m heats will feature Cliff Resias (10.50s SB) and Keanu Pennerman (10.51s SB).

In the evening session, the men’s 400m heats will take to the track at 8:35pm featuring Henri Deluze (47.06s SB), Janeko Cartwright (47.07s SB) and Kinard Rolle (47.67s SB).

Another trio - Kieanna Albury (11.56s SB), Brianne Bethel (11.68s SB) and Janae Ambrose (11.80s SB) will compete in the women’s 100m heats at 9:30pm.

Day one for the Bahamas will conclude in the field with Danielle Gibson (6:15m SB)in the women’s long jump at 9:45pm.

The 2014 edition of the World Junior Championships, which concludes on July 27, is expected to be “one of the biggest gatherings in terms of participating IAAF member federations in the history of the championships,” according to the IAAF.

A total of 175 IAAF member federations will participate in the meet, just narrowly missing the record total of 176 countries hosted in Beijing in 2006 and 170 countries in Annecy in 1998.

The meet will feature 1,546 athletes entered (831 men and 715 women), the expected participation figure will be just shy of the record set at the last edition of the championships in Barcelona two years ago, making it the biggest ever age-group athletics event held outside of Europe.

Since the meet began in 1986, history has shown that many of the IAAF World Junior Championships winners go on to be gold medallists as seniors at the IAAF World Championships and Olympic Games, and are often record breakers as well.

In event history, the Bahamas is ranked No.30 on the medal table after they won a total of nine medals in the event, four gold and five bronze.

At the most recent edition of the meet hosted in Barcelona, Spain, in 2012, the Bahamas won a total of four medals led by Anthonique Strachan’s historic sprint double in the 100m and 200m.

Ryan Ingraham and Latario Collie-Minns took bronze medals in the high jump and long jump respectively.

Mike Sands, president of the BAAA, expressed his confidence in the team prior to their departure.

“It’s a very solid team. If you look at the individual performances of the athletes that qualified they stack up nicely against those not only in the region but in the world as well. With the right synergy, focus and mindset we expect this team to make us proud,” he said.

“The kids, coaches and athletes were all focused on qualifying for this event, and once they have found out that they have qualified it is like a new adrenaline they get which allows them to come ready for the meet.

“Anyone who knows anything about track and field knows that Eugene, Oregon, is the place to be. The community and environment is one of the most beautiful that you will ever come across.”