Awesome Atkinson

File photo
Atkinson

SANTO DOMINGO, CANA:

JAMAICAN Olympian Janelle Atkinson posted an awesome 800 metres freestyle win and led an English-speaking Caribbean gold medal haul of four on the fourth day of the Central American and Caribbean (CCCAN)Swimming championship Friday.

Atkinson demolished her 18 and over age-group field in eight minutes 39.16 seconds, the 12th fastest time in the world so far this year.

Her teammate Angela Chuck also landed gold, taking the 18 and over 200 metres individual medley in a personal best two minutes 27.54 seconds.

Trinidad and Tobago snatched two gold medals, when George Bovell won the boys 15-17 200 IM in a new CCCAN record 2:04.51, and Ryan Yearwood captured the 15-17 boys 100 metres butterfly.

Atkinson, fourth in the 400 metres freestyle at the Sydney Olympics, and triple silver medallist at the 1999 Pan Am Games, produced the performance of the meet so far, and finished an amazing 49-plus seconds ahead of Mexican silver-medallist Imelda Martiniqez (9:29.07). The Dominican Republic's Dayanira Placido (9:41.37) was third.

Atkinson, although competing with sore knees after recent surgery, significantly bettered her previous season's best of 8:44.15 seconds, while taking her third gold of the meet. She had already won the 100 and 200 freestyle events.

Chuck's win in the 200 IM was courageous.

Mexico's Nancy Garcia held what appeared to be a winning lead in the closing freestyle swim, but Chuck rallied decisively to take over in the final 10 metres. Garcia (2:28.14) was second and Venezuela's Maria Rodriguez (2:29.02) third.

Bovell, bothered earlier this week by a stomach virus, returned to top form for his first gold of the meet.

Tuning up for next week's World Championship in Japan, Bovell scratched from the 400 freestyle earlier in the night to concentrate on his 200 IM effort.

He sliced 1.6 seconds off the previous CCCAN record, as he dismissed Mexico's Christin Tinajelo (2:11.84) for the win.

Yearwood returned a personal best time of 57.24 seconds in his 100 butterfly victory, the final event of the night. Venezuela's Jose Cardona (57.67) chased Yearwood to the finish.

The English-speaking Caribbean also collected medals through Barbadian Damian Alleyne and Alia Atkinson of Jamaica.

Alleyne, the 15-17 100 and 200 freestyle champion, won silver in the 400 freestyle in 3:58.04 behind Irving Maldonaldo, who won in a CCCAN record 3:58.53.

Alia Atkinson placed fourth in the 11-12 girls 200 IM in a new Jamaica age-group record 2:36.57, but was promoted to the bronze after Mexican winner Elizabeth Hernandez was disqualified and placed last.

In the 18 and over 100 metres breaststroke, St Lucian Sherrie Scobie-Henry was fifth in 1:22.94.

Trinidad and Tobago remain the most successful Caribbean Community (CARICOM) team at the meet, with seven gold, five silver and two bronze, followed by Jamaica (6-1-4) and Barbados (4-1-2).

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