Anthony Foster, Freelance Writer
Schillonie Calvert ... suffered injury in the 200m final. - FILE
PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad & Tobago:
JAMAICA ENDED the XVII Central America and Caribbean Junior Track and Field Championships in a blaze of glory by winning all four mile relays at the Hasely Crawford Stadium yesterday afternoon, to finish well clear at the top of the medal standings with 59 medals.
This ensured the regional powerhouse a clean sweep of all the relays as they had earlier won all four sprint relays on Saturday night.
The Under-20 girls team of Andrea Reid, Sherene Pinnock, Bobby-Gaye Wilkins and Sonita Sutherland won in 3:36.02 ahead of Trinidad & Tobago (3:42.31), while the boys' quarter of Tarik Edwards, Allodin Fothergill, Gawain Gray and Edino Steele clocked 3:06.99 to beat Trinidad & Tobago (3:07.51).
In the Under-17 events, Jamaica's team of Sanchia Lee, Latoya McDermott, Rosemarie Carty and Natoya Goule won in 3: 45.31 ahead of Trinidad & Tobago (3:47.28), while the boys' quartet of Dwight Robinson, Donahue Williams, Akino Ming and Ramone McKenzie stopped the clock in 3:17.05 ahead of Trinidad & Tobago (3:19.47.
DOUBLE VICTORIES
To complement that fine achievement, six Jamaicans athletes completed double victories on the final day. Yohan Blake, Schillonie Calvert, Jodian Richards in the Under-20 section, Carrie Russell, Ramone Mckenzie and Natoya Goule in the Under-17 section were Jamaica's double winners.
Jamaica with 59 medals - 32 gold, 16 silver and 11 bronze - finished ahead of Mexico, 42 (14G, 16S, 12B); Trinidad & Tobago 39 (10G, 17S, 12); Barbados 20 (8G, 4S, 8G) and Puerto Rico 23 (7G, 6S, 10B); Bahamas 23 (3G, 9S, 11B); Guatemala three (3G); Bermuda six (2G, 3S, 1B); Dominica four (1G, 1S, 2B); Cayman Islands two (1G, 1B).
SPRINT DOUBLE
Blake (21.02) and Calvert (23.20), who broke Simone Facey's four-year-old record of 23.22 seconds, completed the sprint double while Richards won the 800m in 2:12.23 ahead of teammate Vanessa Boyd (2:14.09) to add to her 1,500m (4:33.77) title.
Calvert sustained an injury in the final and still broke the record.
She seemed to pick up the injury in the straight but despite holding on to her leg three times within the last 60m, she was able to hold off the challenge of teammate Anastasia Le-Roy ( 23.25), who finished second.
Jamaica's team doctor, Patrick Robinson, said a preliminary assessment showed a slight strain. Though Dr. Robinson was on the track in a rush, Calvert spent a long time on the ground as neither a medical personnel nor a stretcher was close by. Medical personnel at the event never arrived until sometime afterwards when she had already been taken into a treatment room.
Despite adding the 800m title, Richards had mixed feelings.
"I feel good, but disappointed in the 800m time because I did not run my best," she said. "I wanted to run 2:06 to carry me to the World Juniors. It's not my best, so I'm disappointed with myself, but I thank God because I won two gold medals."
Russell captured the 200m Under-17 title in 23.75 to add to her 100m (11.79), while McKenzie won yesterday's 200m in 21.17 to go with Saturday's 400m (47.5).
Meanwhile Goule, who captured Jamaica's first medal on yesterday's final day, the Under-17 800m in 2:09.15, added to her 1200m victory, which came in 3:33.74.
PUSHED
In the boys' Under-17 800m, Danohue Williams, who made his move on the curve was pushed upon entering the straight by Bahamian Kenneth Wallace-Whitfield and lost his balance. However, Williams fought back to finish second in 1:57.22 behind Trinidad & Tobago's Gavyn Nero (1:56.57 ), who had won the 1500m on Friday.
In the Under-20 800m, despite a late surge from Andre Thomas (1:52.28) and Melvin Weller (1:52.93), who finished second and joint third respectively, homeboy Jamaal James finished strongest to win in 1: 51.73.
Shariff Small threw 57.79m for a new championship record in the boys' Under-20 discus.
In the boys' sprint hurdles yesterday, Kerion Stewart (14.04) lost to Barbados' Ryan Brathwaite (13.69 CR), while Kimarley Henry ( 14.17) finished behind Mexico's Emilio Estrada Lucero (13.57).
In action late Saturday night, led by Under-20 sprint double champions Blake and Schillonie Calvert, along with Under-17 100m winners Nickel Ashmeade and Russell, Jamaica won all four relays.
SPRINT RELAY SWEEP
The boys' Under-20 team of Cawayne Jervis, Oshane Bailey, Triston Taylor and Blake won in 40.49 ahead of Barbados ( 40.68), while the girls' quartet of Kittiany Clarke, the 100m hurdles champion, Le-Roy, Naffene Briscoe and Calvert took top honours in 44.74 ahead of the Bahamas (45.71).
In the Under-17 division, Jamaica (40.83) won the boys' event ahead of Trinidad & Tobago (41.90) and Barbados ( 42.10) and secured the girls' event in 45.50 seconds ahead of Trinidad & Tobago (45.70) and Bahamas (46.31).
Seon Powell (15.25m) won the boys' Under-20 triple jump, while Tarik Batchelor (7.22m) beat teammate Jerome Myers (6.86m ) for the boys' Under-17 long jump gold medal.
Omar Bryan established a new championship record, 52.77m, to win the boys' Under-17 discus throw while Raymond Brown ( 16.87m) lost to Dominican Tyron Benjamin (17.06m CR) in the boys' Under-20 shot put.
Bryan was third in the shot put with a throw of 14.62.
Lorenzo Johnson (4.00m) captured bronze in the boys' Under-20 pole vault, beaten by Edwin Barrientos of Guatemala ( 4.10m CR).
The Jamaican contingent was scheduled to travel later last night and was expected to return home at 1:30 a.m.
