Brown, Burns scorch CAC track in 100m

ST. GEORGE’S: Grenada kicked off this year’s Central American and Caribbean Games yesterday, with athletes racing in preliminaries to qualify for the final sprints.

The men’s preliminary 100-metre dash went to Jamaican Sheldon Morant, who finished in 10.21. Fabrice Calligny of  Martinique raced in 10.22, while fellow islander Ronald Pognon  finished in 10.29. Favourite Kim Collins of St Kitts, who was champion in the event at last year’s Commonwealth Games in Manchester, England, ended in fourth with a time of 10.44, followed by Trinidad’s Marc Burns, who made 10.49. Other 100-metre qualifiers included Trinidad’s Darrel Brown, Grenadian Bruce Swan, Delwayne Delaney of St Kitts, and Jamaican Clement Campbell. The final was being raced yesterday. The fastest qualifiers for the men’s 800-metre run were Simeon Bovell of Trinidad, with 1:50.32, Marvin Watts of Jamaica, with 1:50.43, and Sheridan Kirk of Trinidad, who finished in 1:51.35. That race will be staged today.

The games have brought some 400 athletes from 35 countries to compete in this small former British colony in the Caribbean. In other events, Jamaican Decosma Wright won the 100-metre decathlon, with a final score of 10.75, while Aquila Youelbis Reymond of Cuba was second with 11.30 and Puerto Rican Guillermo Toledo got third place with 11.18. Reymond won the men’s long-jump decathlon with 7.05 metres,  followed by Wright, who made 6.89 metres, and Toledo, who jumped 6.80 metres. The three also topped the men’s shot put event, with Jamaican Wright winning with 13.90 metres, followed by Reymond with 12.79 metres and Toledo again at third with 10.76 metres. The men’s 400-metre hurdles brought Cuban Heir Sergio Castellanos in first with 49.31, Mexican Oscar Juanz in second with 50.68, followed by his compatriot Roberto Carvajal, who finished in 51.54. Mexico’s Alejandra Meza scored at the top in the women’s pole vault, beating out Puerto Rico’s Denise Orengo. Meza leapt  4.00 metres for the victory, and Orengo vaulted to 3.90 metres.

In the women’s discus throw, Cuban Ferrales Yania Morales won after hurling the discus 59.07 metres. Maria Cubillan of Venezuela took second with 49.05 metres, while Doris Thompson of the Bahamas was third with 43.88 metres. Mexico’s Violeta Gozman won the women’s hammer throw, reaching 55.72 metres, and Adriana Beneventa of Venezuela won second with 50.82 metres.