Jamaica's Ricardo Chambers raises the baton as he wins the gold medal in the men's 4x400m relay at the Central American and Caribbean games in Cartagena, Colombia, on Saturday night. - REUTERS
CARTAGENA, Colombia (CMC):
Track and Field competition at the Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games ended Saturday night with a familiar look about it, a Jamaican team winning the closing men's 1600-metre relay.
World-rated and regular 4x400-metre relay champions at regional level, the team of Sanjay Ayre, Leford Green, Ricardo Chambers and Bryan Steele, gave the Jamaicans a seventh gold medal in the event in CAC Games history.
They clocked a Games Record three minutes 01.78 seconds and gave Jamaica a second airing of its national anthem for the evening, as strongman Dorian Scott also landed gold in the men's shot put with a Games Record.
Off the track, the United States Virgin Islands picked up their first gold medal of the Games when Cy Thompson emerged champion at his sailing event.
In the men's 4x400, the Jamaicans looked strong throughout and Ricardo Chambers - on the anchor leg - safely held off strong-finishing Damion Barry for a clear win.
Barry pushed Trinidad and Tobago into second in 3:02.65.
Mexico, with 400-metre queen Ana Guevara in their line-up, displayed a smart performance and won the women's 1600-metre relay in three minutes 29.92 seconds, chased by Jamaica (3:32.86). Cuba placed third in 3:36.34.
Men's 100-metre champion Churandy Martina produced a blistering final leg that handed the Netherlands Antilles gold in the men's 4X100-metre relay in 39.29, topping The Bahamas (39.44) and Jamaica (39.45). Trinidad and Tobago placed sixth in 39.92 and St. Kitts and Nevis (41.00) placed eighth.
DISQUALIFIED
Cuba sped to a Games Record 43.29 win in the women's event ahead of Jamaica, who were disqualified for running out of their zone and placed last.
Colombia got promoted to second and Bahamas (44.34) third.
Scott, a silver medallist at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Australia four months ago, sustained his impressive form and broke his own national record he set a month ago.
With his very first throw in the series, Scott propelled the iron ball 20.34 metres to smash the previous meet mark of 19.63 metres by El Salvador's Yoger Medina in 2002. Cubans Alexis Paumier (18.26) and Reinaldoi Proenza (18.03) took silver and bronze respectively.
St. Lucia's first medals
St. Lucia picked up their first medals of the Games when Dominic Johnson snatched silver in the men's pole vault at 5.20 metres behind Mexico's Robinson Pratt (5.50m) and Levern Spencer cleared 1.88 metres for bronze in the women's high jump that the Dominican Republic's Juana Arrendel won for the third time in a row.
Jamaica's Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Karen Beautle was fourth at 1.86 metres.
Bahamian veteran Laverne Eve, with a throw of 57.29 metres, secured bronze in the women's javelin behind top Cubans Sonia Bissett (63.30) and Osleidis Menendez (59.64).
Jamaican Olivia McKoy was fourth in 56.82 and St. Lucian Erma Gene Evans (46.58) seventh.
The wins by Scott and the men's 1600-metre relay gave Jamaica their ninth gold medal of the Games as they led CARICOM countries at the event that ended last night with the closing ceremony.
Cuba led the medals with a total of 285, 138 gold, 86 silver and 61 bronze, followed by Mexico, with 107 gold, 82 silver and 86 bronze. Hosts Colombia (72, 70, 77) were third.
Jamaica secured 22 medals, nine gold, six silver and seven bronze, for seventh place, while Barbados (six gold, two silver and 11 bronze) were ninth.
The Netherlands Antilles (2-1-1) were 13th, followed by Trinidad and Tobago (1-9-11) 14th, while the Cayman Islands (1-2-0) and British Virgin Islands (1-2-0) shared 15th, Guyana (1-1-0) placed 17th and the U.S. Virgin Islands (1-0-0) 18th.
