Medal hunt continues

Elton Tucker, Assistant Editor - Sports

Guadalajara, Mexico:

English-born middleweight boxer, Reece Shagourie, could guarantee Jamaica a third medal at the XVI Pan American Games, if he wins his opening bout at the Expo Guadalajara Arena this evening.

Shagourie drew a bye in the round of 16 and tonight's quarter-final bout, if he gets past Venezuela's Juan carlos Rodriguez, would ensure that he takes home at least a bronze medal. Manager/ coach Barrington Graham is, however, looking well beyond bronze.

"We know him (Rodriguez) very well," Graham said. "We saw him at the World Championships and we watched his fight here. We have a strong belief and now we are working on some technical aspects ahead of tomorrow's fight," Graham added.

London-based Shagourie, 23, lost narrowly to a Mexican at the recent World Championships in Azerbaijan and is confident of doing well.

Height advantage

"This has been a real experience for me. Now my coach and I are working on things to capitalise on during the fight," he said, just before training yesterday. The 5'10" Shagourie has a four-inch height advantage over the Venezuelan.

The evening session starts at 6 p.m. and Shagourie's fight is scheduled to be the fifth of the evening at 7 p.m.

There was no luck for cyclist Marloe Rodman in the 160-kilometre road race. A collision just before the start of the third of 10 laps forced him out of the race.

Manager Arthur Tenn explained: "Coming up to the third lap Marloe (Rodman) collided with another rider. He was forced across the median of the road and fell. When he came back over, the main group of riders were too far down so he could not catch them back and he lost contact."

Rodman, Jamaica's lone cyclist here, was not injured. He was one of 13 riders who failed to finish the race, which was won in 3:40.53 by Marc de Maar of the Netherlands Antilles. Venezuela's Armando Ubeto was second in the same time, while bronze went to Cuba's Arnold Alcolea in 3:41,48. Fifty-three riders began the race.

Jamaica's female basketballers will only be playing for pride when they face Canada in their final Group B match today at the CODE Alcalde Sports Complex in downtown Guadalajara.

As expected, they were soundly beaten by Brazil in their second match. Brazil won 116-34. The winners, who led 25-2 after the first quarter and 52-11 at half-time have now clinched a semi-final spot

United States-based Simone Jackson was Jamaica's top scorer with 13 points, while Brazil's Erika Desouza got a game-high 22.

Athletics action starts today at the Games. Only two events are scheduled, the men and women's 20-kilometre walk races and the women's marathon.

The action starts for Jamaica tomorrow at the Telmex Athletics Stadium, where the spotlight will be on Maurice Smith as he starts his defence of the decathlon title.