Campbell streaks to third gold

Robert Bailey, Gleaner Writer

Kevaughn Campbell and Dominic Walter captured gold and silver medals respectively for Jamaica to increase the host country's medal tally to 18 at press time last night, at the closing session of the Carifta Swimming Championships at the National Stadium pool.

Jamaica's medal tally now includes six gold, four silver and eight bronze.

The latest performances kept Jamaica in sixth place on 425 points, well behind the outstanding Trinidad and Tobago contingent which continued to lead the standings and were quite certain to take the championship, with 888 points.

They are nearly 300 points ahead of third-place Guadeloupe, on 611, who are followed by The Bahamas (509), Martinique (466) and Barbados (437).

Campbell won his third gold of the championship when he captured the boys' 11-12 100m breaststroke in one minute, 14.74 seconds ahead of Corey Ollivierre of Grenada (1:19.56) and Dionisio Carey of The Bahamas (1:19.60).

Walter, who is the son of national coach Jackie, won the silver medal in the boys' 15-17 400m freestyle in 4:14.76.

Matthias Bellance of Martinique (4:12.22) won the gold medal ahead of the Netherland Antilles' Derrick Bakhuis (4:15.04).

Ivan Chang of Jamaica took bronze in the girls' 11-12 50m in 29.27 seconds.

The event was won by Barbados' Inayah Sherry in 28.08, while Tyla Martin of Trinidad and Tobago (28.66) took silver.

There was no stopping Martin, however, in the girls' 11-12 400m, as she sped to a championships record of 4:41.89, erasing her previous mark of 4:44.69.

In Monday's night session, Jamaica's team of Stefani Webley, Octivia Gray, Priscilla McClure and Danielle Boothe captured the silver medal in the girls' 13-14 400m medley in 4:51.24. Guadeloupe (4:46.91) won, while Aruba took the silver medal (4:54.14).

In the girls' 15-17 400m medley, Jamaica's team of Lauren Williams, Dania Banks, Kendese Nangle and Victoria Ho won bronze in 4:52.47. T&T won in 4:37.85.

Rampant T&T also won the boys' 11-12 400m medley in 4:49.41, finishing ahead of The Bahamas (4:52.00) and Guadeloupe (4:56.15), respectively.

The Jamaica's quartet of Yonatan Goren, Kevaughn Campbell, Robert Marshall and Xavier Phillips finished fourth in (5:04.87).

Laurent Geran of Guadeloupe landed the boys' 15-17 individual medley (IM) in 4:44.26. Suriname's Diguan Pigot (4:512.32) ended second, while Bryson Mays of US Virgin Islands (4:51.43) finished third. Dominic Walter of Jamaica finished fourth in 4:51.53.

Samantha Rahael of T&T captured the girls' equivalent in 5:05.70 ahead of McKayla Lightbourn of The Bahamas (5:13.32) and Lara Butler of the Cayman Islands (5:13.32), who clocked the same time. Brittany Kenny of Jamaica ended seventh in 5:34.58.

Kimberlee John Williams of T&T captured the girls' 15-17 100m breaststroke in 1:07.58, beating Lee-Ann Rose of Barbados (1:08.30) and Caroline Marinette of Guadeloupe (1:08.52), who placed third.

The Jamaican pair of Kendese Nangle (1:08.90) and Lauren Williams (1:11.61) finished fourth and seventh, respectively.