Trinidad and Tobago sprinter Kelly-Ann Baptiste is confident her compatriot Khalifa St Fort is ready to take off, following a recent move to Florida-based coach Lance Brauman, at Pure Athletics.

The 22-year-old St Fort has spent most of her career so far being conditioned by former T&T top sprinter Ato Boldon, who also operates out of Florida.  St Fort trained alongside young Jamaican rising star Briana Williams.

The young sprinter had a stellar start to her competitive career after claiming a silver medal at the 2015 World Youth Championships in Athletics, behind America's Candace Hill.  She went on to claim 100m gold at the 2015 Pan American Junior Athletics Championship.  St Fort was chosen for the 2015 World Championships in Athletics as a relay alternate for the 4×100 metres relay, where the team broke the Trinidad and Tobago national record.

Things, however, tailed off a bit for the young runner and her and Boldon parted ways last year.  Baptiste, however, believes the young sprinter is slowly getting back to her best.

"Khalifa is somebody that I have admired in terms of her work ethic, her dedication to always want to be well. In some ways, Khalifa reminds me of myself and I just think that she, with the right environment and the right training, she can be a world-beater,” Baptiste said in a recent interview with T&T radio station i95.5fm.

 “I'm excited for her and I'm looking to see what next year holds. She's been doing very well and you know it's a bunch of 'Trinis' here which just makes things easier for her.”