Left: Josef Robertson ... won the Under-20 boys' 400m hurdles gold medal. Right: Sherene Pinnock ... won her third straight Under-20 400m hurdles gold medal. - FILE PHOTOS
LES ABYMES, Guadeloupe (CMC):
THE JAMAICANS were threatening to break their own record medal haul in track and field events after yesterday's morning session on the third and final day at the 35th CARIFTA Games in the Rene-Serge Nabojoth Stadium.
The record stands at 76 medals set in 2003 and with Jamaica moving to 44 medals, with an additional 22 finals left in the evening and night sessions, the record appeared in jeopardy.
The impressive Jamaicans won a perfect three gold medals in all events contested in yesterday's early session, improving their tally with the 11 won on Sunday to 14; and their overall gold medal haul at these Games to 26.
Jamaica's Yushana Durrant in the girls' Under-17 triple jump, Jerome Myers in the Under-17 boys' long jump and Omar Brown in the boys' discus throw Under-17, captured the three morning finals on the third and final day.
Durrant leapt 11.69 metres for a comfortable win, beating the British Virgin Islands' Chantel Malone (11.58) and Guadeloupe's Christie Opet (10.84). Myers also won easily, his 7.24m a fair bit ahead of the host country's second-placed Yohan Ferre (7.12m). The Bahamas' Raymond Higgs finished third, jumping 6.88.
Bryan was just as untroubled in victory, launching the discus 48.22m. Trinidad and Tobago's Quincy Wilson ended second with a best throw of 42.20, narrowly securing the silver medal ahead of Barbados' Ramon Burgess, whose best throw was 42.19 metres.
CUSTOMARY AUTHORITY
Showing their customary authority in the hurdles and sprint relays, the Jamaicans landed all the hurdles titles on offer on day two and were also 100 per cent in the 4X100-metre relays.
Sherine Pinnock (57.50) won her third Under-20 girls' 400 hurdles title in a row and Josef Robertson took the boy's equivalent in 52.47 seconds, while Sjana-Gaye Tracey (41.64) edged Barbadian Kierre Beckles (41.76) for the Under-17 girls' 300 hurdles crown.
Jamaica logged the third fastest time in the history of the Under-20 boys' 4X100 metres when Winston Barnes, Yohan Blake, Garfield German, and 100-metre champion Remaldo Rose took them to victory in 39.81 seconds. Only Jamaican teams in 2003 (39.43) and 2004 (39.48) have gone faster.
Barbados finished second in 40.82 and Trinidad and Tobago took third in 40.87 seconds.
The 100-metre champion Schillonie Calvert led Samantha Henry, Anastacia Leroy and anchor Naffene Briscoe across the line for the Jamaicans' Under-20 girls' sprint relay gold medal run in 44.91 seconds, chased by the Bahamas (45.27) and T&T (45.72).
Among the Under-17s, Jamaica's boys won in 41.39 over The Bahamas (41.62) and the girls claimed the gold in 45.66, ahead of The Bahamas (46.17) and Trinidad and Tobago (46.21), who took bronze in all the sprint relays.
SOLID WINS
There were solid wins for Grenada's Joel Phillips and Shannise Wright, of The Bahamas, in the combined events.
Phillips repeated as heptathlon champion when he tallied 5,074 points to defeat Trinidad and Tobago's Kerron Brown (4,432) and his Grenadian teammate Kurt Felix (4,311) and Wright (3,326) edged her Bahamian teammate Andrea Moss (3,206) for the pentathlon crown.
Jamaica and The Bahamas shared the three jumping titles decided Sunday evening.
Kimberly Williams, of Jamaica, won the Under-20 girls' triple jump at 12.94 metres over Bermuda's LaTroya Darrell (12.44m), and her teammate Misha Gaye DaCosta took the Under-17 girls' high jump crown at 1.75 metres.
Gerard Brown retained his Under-17 boys' triple jump title at 14.71 metres over August Campbell (13.90m) in a Bahamian one-two finish.
Guadeloupe's Jonathan Denis gave the home fans one of their few championship-winning moments so far when he took the Under-20 boys' javelin at 56.61 metres over Barbadian Rohan Gill (55.31m) and Grenada's Kenton Olive (54.19m).
Barbadian Akilah Martin won the Under-17 girls' discus at 34.02 metres, topping Alexandra Terry of the Cayman Islands, at 32.69 metres.
Jamaican Lorenzo Johnson took the pole vault open at 3.70 metres and in Sunday's two morning finals, Barbadian Ramon Burgess and Trinidad and Tobago's Annie Alexander completed back-to-back wins in their events.
Burgess repeated as Under-17 javelin champion at 57.97 metres and Alexander took the Under-20 girls shot put gold medal for the second year in a row, at 14.88 metres.
Trinidad and Tobago's Gavin Nero cracked his second record with a smashing 3,000-metre win.
Nero chopped an amazing 17 seconds off the previous Under-17 boys' 3,000-metre record to defeat Jamaican Kemoy Campbell in eight minute 53.42 seconds.
After his record run (4:00.78) in the 1500 metres on Saturday, Nero displayed his stamina superiority again with another polished performance. He was given a stern test by Campbell as he destroyed the previous mark of 9:10.97 by Antigua and Barbuda's James Baird in 2002.
Campbell, who also got silver in the 1500 final behind Nero, was also well inside the previous mark with his time of 8:53.71, and Bermuda's Matthew Spring (9:18.74) was a distant third.
Jamaican Stacey Bell won the Under-17 girls' 3,000 metres in 11:39.95 .
