Shakeem McKay bowed out of the World Athletics U20 Championship Men’s 200 metres event in the opening round in Nairobi, Kenya, yesterday.

McKay finished sixth in heat two in 21.42 seconds, and was unable to secure a semi-final lane on time.

With only the top four in each heat progressing automatically, McKay needed to be among the next four fastest sprinters across the five heats to book a spot in the semis.

At 21.42, he had the fourth and final berth in his grasp after heat two. McKay was still fourth after heat three, but slipped to sixth after the fourth first round race, the Trinidad and Tobago sprinter exiting the event.

Bahamian Wendell Miller topped heat two in 20.72 seconds to cruise into the semis.

Heat one winner, Udodi Onwuzurike was the fastest of the qualifiers, the Nigerian stopping the clock at a personal best 20.47.

Denmark’s Tazana Kamanga-Dyrbak won heat four in 20.53.

Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo, the World U20 100m champion, was first home in heat five in 20.63. And Jamaica’s Bryan Levell clocked 20.90 for victory in heat three.

Onwuzurike was the fastest sprinter on show in the semi-final round, clocking a wind-assisted 20.13 seconds to top heat two and book a lane in the final, scheduled for 11.10 this morning (T&T time).

Tebogo won the opening semi in 20.31. And Kamanga-Dyrbak was triumphant in the third and final semi in 20.61.

Miller and Lovell did not progress to the championship race.

McKay’s elimination from the Men’s 200 signalled the end of T&T’s participation at the World U20 Championships.

Sprinter Leah Bertrand and hurdler Dillon Leacock were the other athletes selected for national duty in Nairobi.

Bertrand reached the Women’s 100m semis, while Leacock suffered a leg injury in training and withdrew from the Men’s 400m hurdles.