TT among athletics ‘Top Five’

ST.GEORGES: Countries of the English-speaking Caribbean had one of their best ever performances at the Central American and Caribbean Championships following the conclusion at the National Stadium on Sunday.

Jamaica topped the medals standings, with the Bahamas, Trinidad and Tobago and host Grenada finishing among the top five teams. Vincentian Pamenos Ballantyne opened the medals’ tally for the region with a gold in the half marathon, improving on his fifth placing in the 2001championships in Guatemala. Ballantyne, who is the leading distance runner in the region, trailed Martinique’s Claude Nohile for the first nine kilometres before Alfredo Arevalo of Guatemala took the lead. But the experienced Vincentian took charge in the final stage to win gold in one hour nine minutes 14 seconds. Kareem Streete-Thompson, Laverne Eve and Cydonie Mothersill were among major achievers who successfully defended their titles here. Streete-Thompson, who was on the brink of elimination after registering two foul jumps, won the men’s long jump with a distance of 8.12 metres. Bahamian Osbourne Moxley was second (7.85m) and Aundre Edwards of Jamaica third (7.74m).

Eve easily won the women’s javelin (56.75m) to become the second woman to complete five consecutive victories in an event. She joins Cuba’s Carmen Romero (discus). Kateena Riettie of Jamaica finished second (51.36m) and Rugama Clalila of Nicaragua third (47.40m). Mothersill of the Cayman Islands pushed her way to the final 30 metres to win the 200m in 22.45 seconds, ahead of Cuba’s Roxana Diaz (22.74) and Tonique Williams of the Bahamas (22.80). Jamaica and the Bahamas completed Caribbean wins in the 400-metre relays. The Jamaican quartet won the women’s 4x400m relay (3:29.75) ahead of Grenada (3:32.99) and Puerto Rico (3:33.35). But the Bahamas turned the tables in the men’s version, as the lead anchor by World 400m champion, Avard Moncur gave his team a sizeable lead, although Grenada’s Alleyne Francique took charge of the second leg. The Bahamas won the event in (3:02.56) followed by Jamaica (3:04.08) and Trinidad and Tobago (3:04.48).