Manswell wins opener

BOXER KERSTON Manswell began his quest for a gold medal, in the heavyweight division, with a victory over Colombian opponent Tomas Orozco in his preliminary round bout at the 14th Pan American Games in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic on Saturday night. The Roxborough-born pugilist, who took silver in the Commonwealth Games in Manchester, England last year, will meet Francisco Nunez, also from D/Republic in his next encounter tomorrow night. Also on Saturday night, the final night of track and field competition, the national 4x100 metre women’s team of Keenan Gibson, Fana Ashby, Wanda Hutson and Kelly-Ann Baptiste finished fourth in a new TT record of 43.97 seconds. The men’s 4x400m quartet of Jacey Harper, Sheridan Kirk, Jamil James and Damion Barry placed fourth in three minutes 5.28 seconds. Last year’s Women’s Player of the Year Oire Trotman notched a double while Stacy Siu Butt and Nicole Dixon added one apiece as the national women’s hockey squad defeated Jamaica 4-0 yesterday.
 
The hockey lasses will meet the United States tomorrow night for fifth spot while the TT men will face Canada in the afternoon, also for fifth place. Trinidad and Tobago’s hopes for success in the badminton event ended yesterday. In the men’s singles, Anil Seepaul and Kerwyn Pantin were beaten by the Guatemalan pair of Alejandro Yang and Erick Anguiano while Seepaul and Zeudi Mack were eliminated by the Brazilian duo of Lucas Araujo and Patricia Oelke in the mixed doubles. And, in the women’s doubles, Nadine Julien and Stephanie Mitchell were hammered 15-1, 15-3 by the American twosome of Mesinee Mangkalakiri and Jamie Subandhi. Action today continues in swimming with George and Nicholas Bovell, Linda McEachrane, Ayeisha Collymore, Katherine Lee Ha and Sharntelle McLean vying for places in tonight’s finals. The Bovell brothers will take to the pool this morning for the 200-metre freestyle heats, McEachrane, Lee Ha and McLean will vie for a final spot in the 100m free while Collymore will compete in the 400m individual medley.