Elton Tucker, Assistant Editor - Sports
Guadalajara, Mexico:
Three athletes who were poised for glory overnight delivered a trio of silver medals for Jamaica at the XVI Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico, yesterday.
The three medals brought the country’s tally at the Games to seven - a gold, five silver and one bronze.
Lansford Spence and Simone Facey were second in the men’s and women’s 200 metres finals, while Isa Phillips was runner-up in the men’s 400m hurdles final yesterday.
Spence, silver medallist in the event at last year’s Commonwealth Games in Delhi, went closest to gold. He was just edged out at the line by Cuba’s Roberto Skyers, who won in 20.37 seconds. Spence clocked 20.38, and third place, Brazil’s Bruno Debarros, 20.45.
According to Spence, who led into the straight, the Cuban came up on his shoulders five metres out and he failed to dip at the line. He was, however, satisfied with his silver.
“I ran my personal best yesterday and did 20.3 again so I am happy,” Spence said.
Grateful for medal
Facey, sixth in the event at the World Championships in Berlin two years ago, is competing in her first Pan American Games and was also happy with her silver. She said the conditions really affected her five metres out.
“I thought I had it (gold) with five metres to go but then my chest started burning,” she said.
Brazil’s Ana DaCilva clocked 22.76 for gold, Facey was second in 22.86, and the Dominican Republic’s Mariely Sanchez pocketed bronze in 23.02.
Phillips hailed 400m hurdles gold medal winner Omar Cisneros of Cuba, who won in a personal best 47.99 seconds. He said he was not in any condition to run as fast as that after winning his first senior medal at a Pan American Games.
“This medal feels good. I have not been at my best for the past two years because of injuries. I am therefore grateful for winning a medal although I am not at my best. I could not beat that (winner’s time) at all. I did not come here to run 47 seconds and that is the only way I could have beaten him,” said Phillips, who is coached by former St Jago High distance runner Mark Elliott. He clocked 48.82 for his silver medal while the bronze medal went to Dominican Republic’s Feliz Sanchez, 48.85.
There was bad luck for Jamaica in the men’s 4x100 metres. The quartet of Jermaine Hamilton, Jason Livermore, Hannukkah Wallace and Oshane Bailey crossed the line first in their heat in 39.61 seconds but were disqualified for exchanging the baton outside the box on the second exchange. The Jamaican track and field management made an appeal but it was dismissed by the officials here.
In the women’s shot put final, Zara Northover was sixth with a best of 16.64 metres. Gold went to Cuba’s Misleydes Gonzalez, 18.57m. Trinidad and Tobago’s Cleopatra Borel bagged silver with 18.46m, while bronze went to American Michell Carter, 18.09m.
Veteran women’s javelin throwers, Olivia McKoy (51.40m) and Kateema Riettie (50.97m), were seventh and eighth, respectively, in the final. American Alisia Dechasier won gold with a throw of 58.01m.