Ja end Junior Pan Am Champs with 13 medals

JAMAICA PICKED up three medals on yesterday’s final day of competition at the Junior Pan Am Under-20 Championships in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, to end the meet with 13 medals - one gold, nine silver and three bronze.

The male and female 4x400 metres teams finished second for both silver medals while Brandon Pottinger placed third in the high jump.

Pottinger, who won gold in the high jump at last year’s World Under-20 Championships in Cali, Colombia, picked up his bronze medal in the morning session yesterday after clearing 2.11 metres. American Grant Campbell won the event with 2.19m, with his teammate Brion Stephens taking second with 2.17m.

In the girls’ 4x400m, Jamaica clocked 3:38.56 as the United States won in 3:30.25. Brazil were third in 3:38.87. United States won the boys’ 4x400m in 3:05.98, with Jamaica second in 3:09.17 and Brazil third in 3:09.57.

In yesterday’s morning session which saw the preliminary rounds of the 200 metres, only Lavanya Williams advanced to the final where she finished seventh in 24.74 seconds as teammate Mickaila Haisley failed to advance after finishing fourth in her heat in 25.38. It was a one-two finish in the final for the United States as Shawnti Jackson won in 22.35 ahead of Elise Cooper second in 22.80. Emily Martin of Canada was third in 23.75.

In the boys’ 200m, Nickoy Drummond failed to advance after a fourth-place finish in his heat in 21.46. Renault de Lima Gallina of Brazil won the final in 20.37.

In three other finals involving Jamaicans, Royan Walters was fourth in the triple jump with 15.11 metres, Barrain Smith was seventh in the 800m in 1:50.93, while Kittania Headley ended eighth in the girls’ 800 metres in 2:11.99.