Elton Tucker, Assistant Sport Editor

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil:

JAMAICA’S YOUNG Reggae Boyz made it three from three at the Pan American Games yesterday when they whipped Haiti 4-0 to top Group C of the preliminary round with the maximum nine points.

The Young Boyz will face Mexico in the first semi-final of the football tournament at the world famous Maracana Stadium on Tuesday at 3:30 p.m. (1:30 p.m. Ja time). Ecuador, who shocked hosts Brazil 4-2 and sent them packing from the tournament yesterday, will face Bolivia in the other semi-final.

Jamaica and Haiti ended with ten men at the Zico Football Centre. Jamaica’s John-Ross Doyley was sent off in the 49th minute for a rash tackle and five minutes from the end Haiti’s Normil Valdo was also dismissed.

Although needing just a point to cement a place in the semi-finals, Jamaica went on the attack early and were rewarded when James Thomas scored after two minutes. Doyley made it 2-0 16 minutes later and Kemmar Daley notched his fourth goal of the tournament in the 26th minute as Jamaica led 3-0 at halftime.

GOOD STRIKE

Captain Ricardo Cousins put the issue beyond doubt in the 67th minute with a good strike and it could have been five for Jamaica but Daley missed a penalty.

Coach Wendell Downswell said the team had achieved their first objective here.

“We are happy to be in the semi-finals. That’s what we were looking for. We had only a few weeks to prepare but despite that we have demonstrated that we are a good team,” the former national senior coach said.

In swimming, Alia Atkinson advanced to her third final of the Games when she made the last eight of the women’s 200 metres breaststroke. She had earlier reached the women’s 100m butterfly and 100m breaststroke finals.

Atkinson placed fourth in semi-final one yesterday in two minutes, 40.51 seconds for eighth overall. The semi-final was won in a Games record 2:26.59 by American Caitlin Leverenz. The final will be contested this morning.

PERSONAL BEST

Natasha Moodie got down to a personal best 58.81 seconds in the women’s 100m freestyle semi-finals but did not advance. She was 14th overall.

Jamaica’s Samantha Albert remained in sixth spot in the equestrian competition after yesterday’s cross-country.

Albert incurred 7.20 morepenalty points for a total of 57.40. Americans Karen O’Connor (48.70), Phillip Dutton (49.80) and Darren Chiacchia (50.20) are in the top three spots ahead of today’s show-jumping section of thethree-day competition.

Cyclist Marloe Rodman finished a creditable 24th of the 48 riders who finished yesterday’s 156km road race. Welterweight Richard Smith, one of two Jamaican boxers at the Games, will bow into action today against Cuba’s Erislandy Lara. The other Jamaican boxer, featherweight Nicholas Walters, will face either Cuba’s Jesús Cuellar or Argentinean Jesús Cuellar tomorrow.

IN ACTION TODAY

BASKETBALL