Dill Qualifies for World Junior Championships

Bermuda’s Shaquille Dill has qualified for the 2012 IAAF World Junior Track and Field Championships. Under a dark gray sky and a rain filled day in Waltham, Massachusetts, Dill competed in the third New Balance Boston Twilight Meet.

Competing in the elite section of the Men’s 800m event, Dill finished third covering the distance in 1:50.78, surpassing the IAAF standard [of 1:51.00] for the World Junior Championships.

Dill’s coach Gerry Swan said, “I was very impressed with Dill’s effort, which was made more noteworthy given the conditions of the day.”

Just under two months ago Dill brought the Bermuda home crowd to their feet with a stirring come-from-behind performance to secure the 800m silver medal at the CARIFTA Games.

The CARIFTA Games was only the second meet of the year for Dill who had returned to Bermuda and resumed training under coach Swan just four weeks prior to his CARIFTA showcase. During his post-competition interview at the CARIFTA Games, Dill stated, in his response to one question, that his next goal is to qualify for the IAAF World Junior Championships.

Dill’s 1:50.78 is, to date, his fastest time during 2012 and is more than five seconds faster than his CARIFTA Games achievement. His personal best time is 1:50.18.

The six-day IAAF World Junior Championships will be held in Barcelona, Spain next month from July 10 to July 15.

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