Juniors continue to do well

Raymond Graham, Gleaner Writer

Jamaica's team at the Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Junior Track and Field Championships at the Felix Sanchez Stadium in Santo Domingo won 21 more medals yesterday to carry their tally to 18 gold, 11 silver and 13 bronze.

Late yesterday, Jamaica captured three of the four 4x100 metres with their only defeat coming in the Under-20 boys event.

The girls Under-17 quartet of Chanice Bonner, Kedisha Dallas, Sequina Cameron and Shericka Jackson clocked 45.67 seconds to finish ahead of The Bahamas, 46.64, and Barbados, 46.80.

The Under-17 boys - Oshane Burrell, Odean Skeen, Odail Todd and Ramoy Bonner - won in 40.55 seconds from The Bahamas, 41.72, and Trinidad and Tobago, 41.78.

Sedaitha Palmer, Deandra Whitehorne, Yanique Ellington and Diandra Gilbert clocked 45.03 to take the girls' Under-20 relay gold, beating The Bahamas, 45.54, and Trinidad and Tobago, 45.55. Trinidad and Tobago won Under-20 boys' event in a record 39.77 from Jamaica, 40.07, and Dominica, 40.67.

Individual events

In individual events, Megan Simmonds, Danielle Williams, Chanice Porter and Lennox Williams were the stars as they struck gold in their events.

Porter won the long jump with a leap of 5.91 metres in the Under-17 category. Akela Jones (5.74m) was second and Jamaica's Tamara Moncrieffe (5.54m) third.

Jamaica captured both girls' 100m sprint hurdles. Simmonds, running into a minus 3.8 metres per second wind, clocked 14.32 seconds to win the Under-17 event, beating Barbadian Shakera Hall (14.80). Williams won the Under-20 event in 14.11 seconds.

Jamaica's other individual winner on the track came in the boys' Under-17 400m, as Lennox Williams produced a late burst to mine gold in an impressive 47.94.

Chris Ann Gordon and Jeneive Russell picked up silver for Jamaica in the girls' 400 metres. In the Under-17 event Gordon faded in the final 60 metres after taking the lead as Shaunae Miller of The Bahamas won in 53.39 with Gordon (54.13) in second and another Jamaican, Olivia James (55.54) in third.

Exciting RACE

The Under-20 was very exciting. The number-two ranked junior in the world , Chantal Malone of British Virgin Islands, had to fight off a good challenge from Russell. Malone, who is also conditioned by former Jamaica sprint hurdler Michelle Freeman, who was at the meet, won in 53.10. Russell clocked a personal best 53.68 for silver with Rashan Brown (53.76) of The Bahamas taking the bronze.

There were no medals for Jamaica in the boys' Under-20 400m contested by Jermaine Gayle and Jevere Bell. After looking a medal contender, Gayle lost his form in the final 30 metres and could only manage fourth in 47.67 seconds, with Bell ending sixth in 47.97. Venezuela's Omar Longart won in 46.75 seconds to deny local boy Luguelin Santos second in 46.94