CAC Junior Championships

GAVYN NERO, triple gold medallist at the CARIFTA Games in Guadeloupe three months ago, repeated at the Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Junior Championships which ended last night at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo.

Jamaal James, Rhonda Watkins and Pilar McShine, all previous CARIFTA medallists, also copped gold on the final day of action on the newly refurbished stadium.

Trinidad and Tobago added 25 medals to their bag yesterday, for an overall tally of 39, comprising ten gold, 17 silver and 12 bronze.

Jamaican athletes were unchallenged for the top place on the medal standings, earning 32 gold, 16 silver and 11 bronze for a total of 59.

Mexico were second overall with 42 (14 gold, 16 silver and 12 bronze), with Trinidad and Tobago third.

Nero, who captured the Boys’ Under-17 1,500m on Friday night, won the 3,000 metres event during the morning session yesterday, completing the distance in nine minutes 0.21 seconds.

He finished ahead of Mexico’s Omar Xicale Coyopotl (9:03.40) and El Salvador’s Cristian Quintanilla (9:04.39).

A few hours later, Nero produced a late surge to claim the Boys’ Under-17 800 metres race in 1:56.57, with Jamaica’s Donohue Williams (1:57.22) and Bahamas’ Kenn Wallace-Whitfield (1:57.37) trailing.

James overtook his challengers at the halfway stage and romped to victory in the Boys’ Under-20 800m in 1:51.73, while Andre Thomas of Jamaica was next in 1:52.28 and Osbaldo Chavez Soto of Mexico 1:52.93.

Rhonda Watkins created a new CAC mark as she destroyed the field in the Girls’ Under-20 long jump. Watkins’ leap of 6.56 metres shattered the previous mark of 6.47m set by Jamaica’s Nolle Graham in 2000.

The dreadlocked McShine held off a late surge from Jamaican Nesha Morgan to win the Girls’ Under-20 3,000m in 10 minutes 28.94 seconds.

Morgan followed in 10:30.81 while Puerto Rico’s Johana Freeman completed the three-member field in 11:59.07.

Akeela Bravo claimed silver in the Grls’ Under-17 discus with a throw of 33.11 metres, 1.26m behind Cayman Islands’ Alexandra Terry while Jennie Jacques of the Bahamas was a distant third in 28.31m.

Cadajah Spencer was another TT silver medallist, clocking 23.86 in the Girls’ Under-17 200m, with Carrie Russell of Jamaica prevailing in 23.75 and Nivea Smith of the Bahamas earning bronze in 24.23.

Jamaican Shariff Small took gold in the Boys’ Under-20 discus with a championship record effort of 52.79m, bettering the previous standard of 52.36 set four years ago by Eric Mathias of the British Virgin Islands.

TT’s Kellon Marshall followed in 51.74m while Dominica’s Tyron Benjamin was third in 51.55m.

The hosts placed second, behind Jamaica, on the final four events of the competition, the respective Boys’ and Girls’ Under-17 and Under-20 4x400 metre relays. Jamaica cruised to gold in the Boys’ Under-17 version in a brisk 3:17.05, ahead of TT (Jameel Alleyne, Akini Thomas, Trevis Frederick and Jevon Matthew) 3:19.01 and the Bahamas 3:19.47.

The TT Girls’ Under-17 quartet of Naomi Reyes, Jessica James, Shameyal Simon and Sparkle McKnight clocked 3:47.28, behind Jamaica’s 3:45.31 while Barbados was third in 3:47.38.

Jamaican Edino Steele showed great determination to overcome Kervin Morgan in the last 100m for victory in the Boys’ Under-20 version, with Jamaica timed in 3:06.99, TT (Jovon Toppin, Renny Quow, Ade Alleyne-Forte and Morgan) next in 3:07.51 and the Bahamas 3:09.09.

And the quartet of Karla Hope, Desiree John, Kelly-Ann Romeo and Janeil Bellille were no match for the Jamaicans, who prevailed in the Girls’ Under-20 in 3:36.02.

The hosts followed in 3:42.31 while Puerto Rico got bronze in 3:49.09.

Semoy Hackett, Kendall Bacchus and Kervin Morgan all collected bronze medals in their respective 200m finals.

Hackett, who clocked 23.62, trailed the Jamaican pair of Schillonie Calvert (who recorded a championship record time of 23.20, eclipsing her countrywoman Simone Facey’s 23.22 set in 2002) and Anastasia Leroy 23.25 in the Girls’ Under-20 event.

Jamaicans also dominated the Boys’ Under-17s, with Romone McKenzie (21.17) and Nickel Ashmeade (21.30) taking the first two places, followed by TT’s Bacchus (21.74).

Morgan, who crossed the finish line in 21.22, trailed Jamaican Yohan Blake (21.02) and Barbadian Ramon Gittens (21.12) in the Boys’ Under-20 version.