SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador (CMC) – Jamaica swept three of the distance relays and both girls’ quarter-mile events on Sunday’s final day, as they finished on top the medals tables at the Central American and Caribbean Junior Games on Sunday.
The Caribbean powerhouses, who have perennially dominated track and field in the region, finished the games with 44 medals after capturing 20 gold, 15 silver and nine bronze.
Mexico were second with 11 gold, six silver and two bronze to end 19 medals while Trinidad and Tobago tallied eight gold, six silver and nine bronze to finish with 23 medals.
Jamaica, who swept all four of the sprint replays, won the Boys Under-20 4×400 metres relay and added both the Girls 4x400m events, to complete another stellar display.
Running in the Boys Under-20s, the Jamaican team of Jarvarn Gallimore, Javon Francis, Omar Mcleod and Shavon Barnes clocked three minutes, 8.94 seconds to finish ahead of the Bahamians in 3:10.31 and Barbados who were third in 3:10.73.
In the Girls Under-20s, the quartet of Desreen Montague, Olivia James, Shericka Jackson and Titania Markland got home first in 3:37.21 seconds to claim gold while the Bahamas were second in 3:43.28 and the Dominican Republic third in 3:54.06.
The Under-18 girls had earlier clocked 3:43.41 to crush the field as El Salvador finished far back in second in 4:07.23, with Guatemala taking bronze in 4:32.06.
Trinidad & Tobago’s boys managed to break the Jamaica dominance when they won the Under-18 4×400 team of Asa Guevara, Machel Cedenio, Reubin Walters and Theon Lewis clocked 3:11.66 to beat Barbados (3:14.31) into second and Puerto Rico (3:14.77) into third.
James also took her Under-20 individual event with a time of 53.89 seconds, followed home by Cuban Sahily Diago Mesa (54.20) and Trinidadian Kernesha Spann (54.52).
Tiffany James kept the Jamaican flag flying in the Under-18 400 metres when she clocked 55.09 seconds to beat Barbadian Tai-Adana Belle (55.92) and St Kitts & Nevis’ Renika Daniel (56.13).
St Kitts also found success in the Boys Under-18 javelin when he measured 68.41 metres to beat Jamaican Orlando Thomas (64.69) and Anderson Peters of Grenada (63.79).
The Bahamas finished with 28 medals overall – collecting five gold, ten silver and 13 bronze – while Barbados finished with six of each to tally 18 overall.
