Jamaica increase medal tally to 43 at NACAC Championships

A championship record 40.60 seconds by the boys’ Under-18 4x100m relay team was the highlight of yesterday’s fourth and penultimate session of the North American, Central American and Caribbean Athletic Association (NACAC) Under-18 and Under-23 Championships at the National Stadium in San Jose, Costa Rica.

The team of Oshane Blackwood, Orlando Wint, 100m winner Alicke Cranston and sprint hurdles gold medallist Andre Harris scorched the track as they sped to a World Under-18 leading time — faster than the Jamaican team that won the men’s Under-23 race.

The Jamaicans continue their domination of the championships which ends today, winning three relays in the afternoon session after winning five hurdles gold medals in the morning session, and will go into today’s finals day on 43 medals comprising 26 gold, 13 silver and four bronze.

The Under-18 girls’ team of Serena Cole, 100m champion Tina Clayton, Kerrica Hill and Alana Reid won with 45.49 seconds, while the men’s Under-23 team won with 42.07 seconds.

Jamaica won two of the four 400m finals that were contested. Delano Kennedy won the boys’ Under-18 in 47.75 seconds, beating teammate Tahj Hamm with 48.38 seconds, while Charokee Young won the Under-23 women’s event in 52.06 seconds over St Vincent’s Shafiqua Maloney’s 52.73 seconds.

Christopher Taylor was second in the men’s Under-23 in 46.58 seconds and Javier Brown was third in 47.54 seconds behind Barbados’, Jonathan Jones who won with 46.20 seconds.

Onieka Brissett was third in the Under-18 girls’ race in 57.43 seconds.

Jamaica also won gold and silver in the Under-18 boys’ high jump, with Aaron Mckenzie winning with 2.01m and Brandon Pottinger taking second with 1.98m.

Jevaughn Powell and Antonio Watson advanced to today’s final of the men’s 200m after they were first and second, respectively, in semi-final heat one.

Powell won the race in 21.35 seconds (-0.6m/s) while Watson was second in 21.51 seconds.

In the morning session the Jamaicans swept all five sprint hurdles titles, with World Under-20 Championships silver medallist Orlando Bennett winning the men’s Under-23 final in 13.65 seconds (-1.5m/s) and Jordani Woodley placing fourth, just outside the medals, with 14.86 seconds.

Daszay Freeman, a finalist at the recent National Senior Championships, won the women’s Under-23 final with 13.80 seconds (-2.6m/s).

Ackera Nugent won the Under-20 girls’ event, running 13.64 seconds (-2.2m/s), as Alexis James ran a personal best 13.31 seconds (0.8m/s) to win the Under-18 girls’ 100m hurdles title while teammate Kerrica Hill took second with 13.68 seconds.

Andre Harris recovered from a poor start to win the Under-18 boys’ 110m hurdles, running 13.78 seconds (-1.8m/s), with Shamer Blake taking third with 14.08 seconds, his second medal of the championships after also finishing in the top three of the 400m hurdles on Friday.

Jamaicans also won both Under-18 800m events as well, taking first and second places in the process. Rickeisha Simms ran 2:23.75 minutes for the Under-18 girls’ gold medal while Kishay Rowe was second with 2:23.91 minutes.

Kemarrio Bygrave took the Under-18 boys’ event in 1:54.35 minutes with Adrian Nethersole second in 1:56.63 minutes, while Tyrese Reid was second in the Under-23 men’s final in 1:49.44 minutes.

Serena Cole in the Under-18 girls’ and Shantae Foreman in the Under-20 won their long jump finals yesterday as well.

Cole leapt 5.72m (-2.0m/s) to win the junior event while Foreman’s 6.07m was enough for her to win Jamaica’s first medal in the Under-20 section.