PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad – Gavin Nero, a distance-running triple gold medallist at last year's CARIFTA Games, is in a 59-member Trinidad and Tobago squad for this year's meet in the Turks and Caicos Islands.

Competing in the Under-17 category in Guadeloupe last year, Nero logged record wins in the 1 500 and 3 000-metre races and also captured the 800 metres.

Slicing more than a minute and a half off the 18-year-old mark by T&T's Quinton John (4:02.05), Nero stopped the clock at four minutes 00.78 seconds.

His win in the 3 000 metres was even more commanding, clocking 8:53.42 as he chopped a stunning 17 seconds off the record while becoming the first athlete to clock a sub-9-minute time in the event.

The squad for the April 7-10 meet also includes the speedy Keston Bledman, who won bronze at the IAAF Youth (Under-18) championship in Morocco in 2005. Bledman clocked a wind-assisted 10.25 seconds in victory at the CARIFTA Trials.

Local officials will stage a one-week camp for the team from March 31 to April 1.

T&T SQUAD:

BOYS' UNDER-20: Gavin Nero, Denzil Delpesche, Jameel Alleyne-Walcott, Jamie Payne, Ade Alleyne-Forte, Ansil Nicholson, Jovon Topin, Kendall Bacchus, Kervin Morgan, Zwede Hewitt, Joel Dilon, Keston Bledman, Kyron Blaise, Durell Busby, Emmanuel Stewart, Jeffery Williams, Kashef Daniel, Kesean Phillips, Mikhail Mathews.

GIRLS' UNDER-20: Afiya Walker, Akeela Bravo, Cadajah Spencer, Nyoka Giles, Sade St Louis, Janeil Bellille, Kirlene Reyes, Britney St Louis, Hileen James, Venice Frederick, Semoy Hackett.

BOYS' UNDER-17: Trevis Frederick, Shermund Allsop, Aaron Gabriel, Quincy Wilson, Adriel Prescod, Christian Benjamin, Jahue Gordon, Jemol James, Jarren Franklyn, Jodie Smith, Kevin Haynes, Richard Collingwood, Robert Collingwood, Wayne Davi, Moriba Morain, Jamel Paul, Seon Michael Stafford, Julian Fletcher

GIRLS' UNDER-17: Kai Selvon, Jeanelle Ovid, Michelle-Lee Ahye, Deandra Daniel, Chelsea Campbell, Kenesha Spann, Jessica James, Sparkle McKnight, Akema Dick, Leanna Stoute, Samantha Shukla. (CMC)