Dixon delight! - Hurdler confirms WC spot with season's best

Raymond Graham, Gleaner Writer

VETERAN hurdler Vonette Dixon produced her best form of the season on yesterday's final day of the three-day Senior Central America and Caribbean Championships in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, as she pocketed gold in the final of the women's 100 metres hurdles in 12.77 seconds.

Dixon paved the way for a Jamaican sweep in the sprint hurdles, as Eric Keddo also won gold after winning the men's 110 metres hurdles in 13.49 seconds. It was also gold for Koreen Hinds in the women's 3000 metres steeplechase, while Jamaica also picked up four bronze medals to bring their tally to an overall 23 medals, which included nine gold, six silver and four bronze.

Jamaica was expected to increase their tally as two events, the men's and women's 4x400 metres relays were set to run off later last night.

After a lean spell so far this season for Jamaican female sprint hurdlers, Dixon, who just made the World Championships qualifying 'A'standard of 12.96 seconds in a meet in Auburn, Alabama, in April, was at her best yesterday as she cemented her position on the World Championships team with a solid performance in a convincing win.

Jamaica's other competitor in the final, Andrea Bliss finished a disappointing seventh in 13.50 seconds.

There were also mixed fortunes for Jamaica in the men's 110 metres hurdles as fastest qualifier, Hansel Parchment, a student at the University of the West Indies, was disqualified for false starting, but the gold medal would not be denied as Kedo won in 13.49 seconds to get the better of Hector Cotto of Puerto Rico and Paulo Villar of Columbia, who clocked 13.54 and 13.60 seconds respectively, for the silver and bronze medals.

After picking up silver in the women's 1500 metres final earlier in the meet, the national champion in the women's 3000 metres steeplechase had little difficulty in picking up gold in her pet event, as she won the final in easy fashion, clocking 9:54.67 seconds as Beverly Ramos (9:58.11) of Puerto Rico and Sara Prieto (14:42.85) of Mexico finished second and third.

Anastasia Leroy, Jason Young, Natoya Goule and Peaches Roache were Jamaica's other medallists last night as they all picked up bronze medals in their individual events.

In the 100 metres on Friday's opening day, Jamaica had to pay second fiddle to Trinidad and this time around in the 200 metres it was the athletes from The Bahamas that dominated. In the women's final, it was 1-2 for The Bahamas as Nivea Smith clocked 22.80 seconds to win from teammate Antonique Strachan, the Carifta Under-20 champion in 22.90 seconds. Here, Leroy had to settle for third in 23.13 seconds.

In the men's event, The Bahamas' Michael Matthieu gave his country two from two in the half-lap event after wining the gold medal in 20.60 seconds. Here, the silver medal went to Rondell Sorillo of Trinidad and Tobago in 20.64 seconds as once again Jamaica had to settle for bronze through Young who clocked 20.78 seconds.

Goule (2:02.83) also mined bronze in the women's 800 metres as Gabrielle Medino of Mexico captured the gold medal after winning the event in 2:01.50 seconds while Rosemary Almanza of Cuba had to settle for the bronze in 2:02.23. Here, Jamaica's other entrant in the event, Clora Williams failed to finish.

Jamaica got its other individual bronze medal through former Convent of Mercy, Alpha athlete Peaches Roache. Roache compiled a score of 5589 points to finish third in the women's heptathlon event.