59-medal haul - Ja rule at Jnr CAC meet

BY PAUL A REID Observer Writer reidp@jamaicaobserver.com

Monday, July 05, 2010

Jamaica completed their domination of the 18th Central American and Caribbean Junior Track and Field Championships at the Felix Sanchez Olympic Stadium, in Santo Domingo yesterday after adding another 19 medals to equal the 59 won at the previous event four years ago in Trinidad.

Despite a few disappointments, the young Jamaicans -- who went into the final day with 40 medals -- added seven more gold, seven silver and five bronze as they won two of the four mile relays to end the meet on a high.

Both girls' teams won their 4x400m events as the team of Olivia James, Shericka Jackson, Sanikee Gardner and Yanique McNeil took the Under-17 race in 3 minutes 43.08 seconds.

The Under-20 team of Jodi-Ann Muir, Janieve Russell and intermediate hurdlers Danielle Dowie and Ristananna Tracey easily won their race in 3:34.41.

The Under-20 boys' team of Jermaine Gayle, Dwayne Extoll, Nasceive Denton and Demar Murray were second to Trinidad in 3:09.18, as the Under-17 boys comprising Alex Willis, Lennox Williams, Christopher Regent and Kevon Robinson won the bronze in 3:18.67.

A day after setting a new meet record 18.32 metres in the Under-20 shot put, double National Junior record-holder Chad Wright was upset in the discus, losing to Trinidad's Quincy Wilson, who had just two legal throws the entire competition.

Wilson won with 62.93m, just under his personal best after a mediocre opening throw of 56.22m, with Wright second with 60.50m and teammate Traves Smikle third with 57.22m.

On Saturday, Wright captured the shot put gold with Ashinia Miller fourth with 17.21m as the top four athletes broke the old mark of 17.02m set four years ago.

Under-17 boys' discus gold medallist Chadwick daCosta had to settle for second in the shot put yesterday with a best throw of 16.98m, while Kashif Ford took the bronze with 6.83m.

Jamaica got two more medals in the Under-17 girls' discus, with Sheena Powell capturing the gold with a throw of 36.70m and Samantha Johnson third with 34.38m.

Natoya Goule, the only member of the Jamaica team that took part in the previous meet, won the Under-20 800m in an easy 2:07.20 while Kevon Robinson was third in the Boys Under-17 race in 1:55.54.

After sweeping all four gold medals on Friday in the 100m, Jamaica had to settle for two gold medals in the 200m yesterday.

Odean Skeen completed the Under-17 boys double when he won his half-lap 21.64 seconds and Shericka Jackson won the girls' Under-20 section in 24.23 with Saquina Cameron second in 24.40.

Brandon Tomlinson took silver in the Boys Under-20 section, running 21.58 into a head wind of 2.4m/s.

Omar McLeod and Davian Dennis were first and second in the Under-17 boys 100m hurdles in 13.14 seconds and 13.39, respectively, as Stephan Fennell grabbed the silver in the Under-20 section after Kamal Fuller had false-started and was disqualified.

Rochelle Farquharson won her second bronze of the meet when she took third in the Under-20 long jump with a best mark of 5.86m. She placed third in the triple jump on Friday.

Her St Elizabeth Technical High teammate Opal James was second in the Under 17 triple jump with 11.32m.

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59-medal haul - Ja rule at Jnr CAC meet