Alia again! - Four more medals for Ja at CAC Games

BY PAUL BURROWES Observer writer

Saturday, July 24, 2010

Jamaica grabbed two more gold, a silver and a bronze medal on day six of the Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games in Maragüez, Puerto Rico yesterday to move their overall tally to 12 medals.

Alia Atkinson maintained her Games-smashing form to win the women's 50m breaststroke in a meet record 31.91 seconds, demolishing Mexican Arantxa Medina, who took the silver in 32.57 seconds, and Puerto Rican Patricia Casellas, bronze medallist, after clocking 32.98 seconds.

In the morning, Atkinson previously lowered the meet record to 32.38 seconds before setting a new standard by dipping below the 32-second barrier. Atkinson has now joined five other athletes, including three swimmers, to win four gold medals at the CAC Games.

The mixed doubles badminton final was an All-Jamaican affair, with Alya Lewis and Garron Palmer defeating Gareth Henry and Kristal Karjohn 21-14, 21-15. The Jamaica badminton team is scheduled to arrive home this afternoon at 4:30.

Meanwhile, Vanessa Gidden scored a game-high 24 points and Simone Edwards added 20 points for Jamaica to grab the bronze medal in women's basketball, beating the US Virgin Islands 69-58 yesterday at the Arquelio Torres Coliseum in San Germán.

Scoring 42 points in the paint and 16 from turnovers, the Jamaicans were dominant in the match during which the lead changed only twice and the match also tied twice.

Jamaica led the first quarter 12-9 and increased the advantage to 29-17 at half time. With Angelee LaTouche (8 points) and Tajay Ashmeade (8 points) contributing, Jamaica maintained their stranglehold for a 48-38 comfort zone at the end of the third quarter. In the last quarter, Jamaica held on to add a CAC Games bronze medal to their Centrobasket Championships silver medal achieved a few weeks ago.

Jamaica now boast five gold, two silver, and five bronze for seventh place on the medal table at the CAC Games, trailing leaders Colombia, Venezuela, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic and Guatemala.

On Thursday night, in the women's basketball semi-final, Puerto Rico bested Jamaica 63-44.

In beach volleyball, Jamaicans Mark Lewis and Dany Wilson defeated Cayman Islands' Olney Thompson and Shervin Rankin 21-6, 21-16 in their opening Group C match at Balneario de Boqueron in Cabo Rojo yesterday.

Lewis and Wilson wrapped up the match, watched by about 600 spectators, in 32 minutes. They aced nine of their 39 service attempts, with eight of them faults and the Jamaicans were also successful in 16 of their 24 attack attempts.

This morning at 9:00 the ladies will open their programme when Cheryl Daley and Cherine Richards take on Trinidad & Tobago's Ayana Dyette and Nadiege Honore.

In men's hockey, Jamaica and the Netherlands Antilles drew 0-0 in an opening Group B match at the 8,000-seater Yldefonso Sola Morales Stadium in Caguas.

Meanwhile, in women's hockey on Thursday, captain Dadreann Clarke, Shareeka Elliott and Racene Johnson were on target for Jamaica to beat Puerto Rico 3-1 in their opening Group B match. Natasha Ruffalo scored the lone goal for Puerto Rico.

Clarke and company will go for their second win this morning at 10:00 when they meet Mexico, who crushed the Dominican Republic 6-0 on Thursday.

In table tennis, Peter Moo Young, Joseph Dibbs, and the doubles pair of Moo Young and Simon Tomlinson ensured Jamaica blanked St Lucia 3-0 in a Group D match; while El Salvador meted out the same 3-0 treatment to the Jamaican women's team of Yvonne Foster, Ashli Alexander, and the doubles pair of Kristen McKenzie and Alexander.

Later, El Salvador clipped the men's team 3-2, with Moo Young and Kareem Flowers recording the victories. Dibbs and Flowers lost the doubles match, Dibbs lost his singles match, and Moo Young fell in his other singles match to hand the El Salvadorean the win.

In athletics, Natalie 'Nicky' Grant will be Jamaica's first representative on show when she takes part in the women's hammer where Venezuela's Rosa Rodriguez (season-best 69.10m), Colombia's Johana Moreno (season-best 66.93m), and Mexican Sharon Ayala (season-best 63.93m) are expected to finish in the top three. Grant has a season-best 60.07m.

In rugby, Jamaica will play Guyana and Mexico today.

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Alia again! - Four more medals for Ja at CAC Games