File photos
At left, Gonzales... won gold in 400 metres. Plummer... finished third in 46.38. Raymond Graham, Freelance Writer
JAMAICA turned up a notch in the evening session of the 15th CAC Junior Track and Field Championships in Barbados as they picked up 15 medals to end Friday's first day of competition with 20 medals.
They were 10 gold, five silver and five bronze.
It was indeed Jamaican athletes at their best as they broke six of nine Championship records while sweeping all the 400 metres as they tuned up for the World Junior Championships later this month.
Nine Championship records were broken and it was the Jamaican athletes who were the toast of the day with some breathtaking performances.
Undoubtedly, the star performer for Jamaica was Jermaine Gonzales as he silenced the partsan home fans when he topple their World Junior medal hopeful Wilan Louis in the Boy's Under-20 400 metres. Gonzales struck gold in a new mark and personal record of 45.80 seconds. With the crowd in a frenzy before the event, Louis, drawn in lane five, got out very fast as Gonzales, in lane three, was cautious over the first 100m.
With the crowd going wild, Louis came on the straightway with a five-metre lead on Gonzales. However, the lanky Gonzales caused a hush inside the Stadium as he sped by the home team's boy to win going away. Louis was second in 46.04 and Yhann Plummer produced a personal record to finish third in 46.38 seconds.
Indeed it was three out of four records for the Jamaicans over the 400m as Usain Bolt and Sheryl Morgan also wrote their names in the record book.
After seeing Kashain Page winning the Girl's Under 17 400m in 55.20 seconds the stage was set for the Jamaican clean sweep and three consecutive records.
Toying with his opponents, the talented Bolt improved his record in the Boys' Under 17 400m following his 48.02 run in the preliminary race. Bolt won by more than two seconds, posting a new mark of 47.12 as Trinidad and Tobago's Jameel James took silver in 47.95 with the bronze going to Rimardo Rolle of Bahamas in 49.12. Naseer Johnson of Jamaica had to settle for fourth in 49.38 seconds.
Like Bolt, it was also an easy victory for Morgan in the Girl's Under 20 400m as Jamaica finished 1-2 After getting out very fast it was smooth sailing for Morgan all the way as she posted an easy win in a new Championship mark of 52.81 seconds with teammate Davita Prendergast some way behind for the silver in a personal record of 54.10.
The stage was set for Jamaica's dominance from the first track event final of the day as St. Andrew High's Arusha McKenzie gave the Jamaican's their first track gold medal.
Running an intelligent race, McKenzie timed her move perfectly to win the Girl's Under 17 1,200m in a new Championship record of 3:36.41 seconds as teammate Cadien Beckford just missed out on the medals, finishing fourth in 3:40.13 seconds.
Despite capturing two of the 100m event, Jamaica had to share the spotlight with Trinidad as the World leading junior sprinter Darrel Brown decimated Jamaican Roy Bailey's 100 metres mark of 10.38 seconds in the Boy's Under 20 100 metres with a new mark of 10.18.
Undoubtedly, the most anticipated clash of the day, Brown came face to face with his teammate Marc Burns who had beaten him at the Trinidad Trials a few weeks ago. Favourite to take gold at the World Juniors, Brown and his teammate were out of the blocks together and after a ding-dong battle for about 80m, the World Youth 100m champion showed his class over the final 20m to win convincingly. Burns had to settle for silver in 10.42 seconds as Jamaica's Winston Hutton ran his career best to take the bronze in 10.58 seconds with his teammate, Orion Nicely also doing a career best of 10.72 seconds for fifth.
Jamaica dominated the Girls 100m events finishing 1-2 in both the Under 17 and Under 20 races.
Like she did at the Carifta Games in April, it was another record win for the talented Aneisha McLaughlin. Although challenged early by teammate Diane Dietrich, McLaughlin won convincingly in a new mark of 11.59 seconds as Deitrich posted a personal best of 11.76 seconds to take silver with Trinidad's Marie Lyn Cox taking bronze in 12.04.
Simone Facey continued her good build up for the World Juniors when she posted a personal best of 11.46 seconds to capture the Girl's Under 20 100m with the vastly improved Sherone Simpson taking the silver in a personal best of 11.60 seconds. Carifta double sprint champion Shandra Brown of Barbados finished a disappointing seventh in 11.92 seconds.
Sedain McDonald also won gold for Jamaica in the Boy's Under 20 long jump with a leap of 7.44m in the final event of the evening.
