Day two…still no medal for Ja at Pan-American Games
KINGSTON, Jamaica – Jamaica has yet to win a medal after two days of track and field at the Junior Pan-American Games in Asuncion, Paraguay after four athletes placed fourth in rainy conditions.
Jehlani Gordon and Serene Cole in the men’s and women’s 100m final, Kishay Row in the women’s 800m and Shaiquan Dunn in the men’s shot put, all finished just outside the medals.
Gordon clocked 10.18m (1.9m/s) as Davonte Howell of the Cayman Islands ran a personal best and Games record 9.98 seconds to take the gold, beating Ronal Longa of Colombia who ran 10.07 seconds, while Jaleel Croal of the British Virgin Islands ran 10.16 seconds for third.
Howell lowered his own previous best of 10.05 seconds and moved into number two all-time for the Cayman Island and also broke the Games record 10.10 seconds he had set in the semi-finals on Monday.
Cole clocked 11.47 seconds (0.2m/s) in the women’s 100m, while World Athletics Under- 20 gold medallist Alana Reid was seventh in 11.71 seconds.
Trinidad and Tobago’s Shaniqua Bascombe won the gold medal with 11.19 seconds, finishing ahead of semi-final leader Liranyi Alonso of the Dominican Republic (11.40 seconds) and Frances Colon of Puerto Rico took the bronze medal with 11.46 seconds.
Rowe ran 2:06.95 seconds in the women’s 800m final that was won by Brazil’s Sabrina Gabrieli Pena in a Games record 2:05.87 seconds.
Dunn threw 17.84m in the men’s shot put while his teammate Christopher Young was fifth in 17.79m.
In the other final contested on Tuesday, Jahiem Watson was fifth in the men’s long jump with 7.21m (0.5m/s) with Rickoy Hunter placing seventh with 7.15m (0.5m/s), a mark he jumped twice.
The medal hunt continues on Wednesday after three Jamaicans qualified for the men’s and women’s 400m final.
Jasauna Dennis led the men’s qualifying with 45.73 seconds while Shaemar Uter advanced with 46.44 seconds as he was second in his semi-final race.
Shanakaye Anderson was also second in her women’s 400m semi-final race in 53.16 seconds but Shanque Williams was disqualified.
– Paul Reid
