Former World 100m Champion, Kim Collins among athletes not selected to represent St. Kitts at IAAF Champions
Basseterre, St. Kitts – Former World 100m Champion and 2-time World Indoor 60m Silver medallist Kim Collins is among athletes who are not on the SKNAAA’s selection of the team to represent St. Kitts-Nevis at the IAAF World Indoor Championships to be held in Istanbul, Turkey.
The stunning development was announced on Friday when the SKNAAA announced a 3-member team for the event. The athletes selected are Tiandra Ponteen and Brijesh Lawrence along with team coach Stewart Joseph.
In addition to Kim Collins other glaring omissions were Antoine Adams, Tameka Williams and Marecie Pemberton.
The SKNAAA did not indicate whether Collins, Adams, Pemberton and Williams were available for selection or the rationale behind their ommission.
Antoine Adams has been having one of the best debut seasons of any athlete in recent times having won the 60 m indoor sprint events at various meets throughout the European track circuit. Williams broke the national 60m record earlier in the year and, along with Adams and Kim Collins, easily passed the qualifying mark for entrance into the World track event.
FSU’s Marecie Pemberton also qualified in the 60m but she to was not included in the team for Turkey.
It is unclear as to the reasons for the ommissions. However this comes on the heels of the recent controversy surrounding the SKNAAA’s decision to insert a clause in the contracts of the athletes demanding 20% share of the athletes’ earnings to be paid to the SKNAAA.
With a record 6 athletes qualifying for the World Indoors with a very high chance of SKN actually having at least four athletes medaling in Antoine Adams, Kim Collins, Tameka Williams and Marecie Pemberton, it is baffling to most observers as to why the athletes were not selected. However, inside sources have suggested that the recent row over the athletes’ contracts and a mandated 20% earnings demand clause maybe at the heart of the ommissions of some of the federaion’s top athletes for the World Indoors.
Collins, Adams, and Liburd are all currently among the World Leaders in the 60m event. Collins has a season’s best of 6.56 seconds which puts him among the ten best times for the year while Adams’ 6.66 in Tartu, Estonia puts him among the top 20 times in the world for 2012. Adams also has one of the World’s Top 20 times in the 200m with his 21.02 seconds in Lievin. Tameka’s 7.24 in Karlhule, Germany is among the World Leaders in the Womens 60m event.
