Traves Smikle won Jamaica’s first track and field medal at the Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games yesterday when he took the bronze medal in the men’s discus throw with a mark of 64.68 metres, at Roberto Melendez Stadium in Barranquilla, Colombia.

Smikle, a World Championships finalist, was in medal contention from the first round along with gold medal-winner Mauricio Ortego of Colombia (66.30m his life-time best) and Cuba’s Jorge Fernandez who took silver with a season’s best 65.27m.

Jamaica’s other entrant, Basil Bingham finished fifth in a season’s best 60.26m.

It was Jamaica’s ninth medal of the Games, with three gold medals coming in swimming, a historic silver medal in fencing, and four other bronze medals.

It was a good opening day for Jamaica with just one athlete failing to get past the first round of their event and all four 400m hurdlers and three of four 800m runners qualifying for their respective finals.

At press time, all four 100-metre sprinters advanced to the semi-finals of their events set for late last night.

In the men’s event, Nesta Carter ran a season’s best 10.18 seconds (0.4m/s) to win his first-round heat, while Javoy Tucker ran a wind-aided 10.09 seconds (2.7m/s) to win his race.

Jonielle Smith also won her heat in the women’s race in a wind-aided in 11.19 seconds (2.2m/s), while Jura Levy was second in her race that was also wind-aided, 11.62 seconds (2.9m/s).

Meanwhile Smikle, who started with 62.73m, a mark that would have given him third comfortably, was chasing the two men ahead of him and said afterwards he had mixed feelings — happy with a medal but was looking for a better throw.

He said he took too long to get into a rhythm, getting his best throw in the final round, and said the two men who finished ahead of him performed well. “64.68 metres — I am not too happy but I am not too sad, but grateful. I tried to get consistent but the competition was good.”

Bingham was happy to throw over 60m and said he, too, had mixed feelings. “I am disappointed but proud. I got over 60m but I came with the intention to get a personal best and possibly a medal.”

Jamaicans could earn more track and field medals today as they will be in at least four more finals, with another 11 athletes set to start their competitive schedule when the track and field action continues.

O’Dayne Richards and Ashinia Miller will contest the men’s shot put final, while Tissanna Hickling is down for the women’s long jump, which is also a final.

Miller, with his personal best 20.93m set in May this year, is the best Jamaican, but Richards, the former World Championships bronze medallist, is the more experienced in major championships.

Lafranz Campbell and Phillip Lemonious have big shoes to fill in the men’s 110m hurdles, as Jamaica own all but one major sprint hurdles title — the World Indoors — and they will be expected to extend the run of excellence.

Damion Thomas won the IAAF World Under-20 gold medal earlier this month in Finland; Omar McLeod holds both the Olympic and World Championships title; Ronald Levy is the Commonwealth Games champion; Jaheel Hyde is the reigning Youth Olympics champion; and Dejour Russell won the IAAF World Under-18 last year.

Nickiesha Wilson and Jeanine Williams will contest the women’s 100m hurdles.

National Record holder Rusheen McDonald goes after his first major individual gold medal in the men’s 400m where he and Steven Gayle will fly the national colours, while former IAAF World Under-20 champion Tiffany James and Derriann Hill will run the women’s one lap race.

All four intermediate hurdlers advanced to Wednesday’s finals after yesterday’s semi-finals, and both women, Rochelle Clayton (55.45 seconds) and Rhonda Whyte (55.77 seconds), won their semi-final heats and advanced.

Shawn Rowe won his 400m hurdles heat in 49.69 seconds, while Annsert Whyte was second in his race in 48.87 seconds behind race favourite Kyron McMaster of the British Virgin Islands, who won in 48.71 seconds.

Simoya Campbell and Felan Ferguson in the women’s and Eric McKenzie in the men’s were automatic qualifiers to this evening’s 800m finals.

Campbell placed second in her semi-final in two minutes 05.52 seconds, just beaten to the line by Barbados’ Sonia Gaskin (2:05.50 minutes) ahead of Alethia Marrero of Puerto Rico (2:05.59 minutes).

Ferguson finished third in her race in 2:06.37 minutes behind Cuba’s Rose Mary Almanza (2:04.46 minutes) and Trinidad’s Alena Brooks (2:05.29 minutes).

McKenzie ran a personal best one minute 48.21 seconds for third place in his semi-final heat to book his spot, behind Puerto Rico’s Ryan Sanchez (1:47.21 minutes) and Mexico’s Jorge Montes (1:48.20 minutes).

Jauavney James, who competed at the IAAF World Cup in Athletics earlier this month in London, was sixth in his semi-final in 1:50.17 minutes.