Delloreen London-Ennis (JAM) (© Getty Images)
Jamaica dominated the 19th Central American and Caribbean Championships, ahead of Mexico, Cuba and Bahamas, with her hurdlers Delloreen London-Ennis and Allison Beckford and long jumper Elva Goulbourne, providing the highest notes in St. George's National Stadium.
With a 37-member team, Jamaica topped the medal tally with six gold, eight silver and eight bronze medals, followed by Mexico (6-3-2), and Cuba (6-2-1), who sent a small 15-athlete squad as preparation for the Pan American Games in Santo Domingo.
Jamaica's current Commonwealth Games champion Goulbourne leapt to the second-best distance in the world this year for the women's Long Jump, 6.96, but with an illegal trailing wind of 2.6m/s. On her second attempt, the 23-year-old posted a legal 6.95, a new national and CAC champs record, only 0.04 off the area standard, owned by Cuba's Lissete Cuza since 2000.
Sydney Olympics fourth-place finisher Delloreen Ennis-London also of Jamaica, clocked a season's best of 12.70 to erase the 14-year old meet record in the 100 metres Hurdles (13.01), held by Cuban Odalys Adams. Haiti's Nadine Faustine followed with 12.82, just 0.02 off her national record, while Cuba's defending champion Dainelky Perez finished fourth.
In a close battle with Puerto Rico's Ivonne Harrison (55.29), Jamica's Allison Beckford bettered her personal best in the 400-metres Hurdles to 55.12, faster than Barbados' Andrea Blackett's CAC mark (55.64).
In total, six records fell during the three-day competition. Mexico's Alejandra Meza cleared 4.00 metres in the Pole Vault, as Cuba's area record holder Katiuska Perez (4.20) no heighted.
Trinidad and Tobago's 4x100 relay team, which included World Junior Champion Darrel Brown and Marc Burns, clocked 39.05, clipping 0.02 seconds off the old mark set by Cuba in 1995.
The Bahamian 'Golden Girls' - Tamicka Clarke, Sydney relay gold medallist Debbie Ferguson, Christine Amertil and Shandria Brown - ran 43.06 seconds in 4x100, the second fastest time this year. Jamaicans (43.30) and Cubans (43.83) were second and third, respectively, smashing the old record of 43.83, set two years ago by the Jamaicans.
Other region's stars showed their top form on Grenada's National Stadium. Commonwealth champion Kim Collins (St. Kitts and Nevis) successfully defended his 100m title with 10.13, but he was unexpectedly absent from the 200 metres final, won by Bahamas' Dominic Demeritte (20.43), ahead of Trinidad and Tobago's Julien Raeburn (20.57) and Edmonton World Championships runner-up Christopher Williams (20.58).
Apart from Collins and Goulbourne, eight other athletes successfully defended their crowns from Guatemala 2001: Cayman Islands' Kareem Street-Thompson (Long Jump) and Cydonie Mothersil (200), Venezuela's Manuel Fuenmayor (Javelin) and Yoger Medina (Shot Put), Mexico's Rosario Sanchez (10km Walk), Bahamas' Laverne Eve (Javelin), Cuba's Yania Ferrales (Discus Throw) and Misleydis Gonzalez (Shot P), as well as the Jamaican women in the 4x400 Relay.
Eve became the first person to claim five titles in a single individual event in the history of the CAC Champs.
Hosting the event for the first time in the CAC meet's 36 year old history, Grenada achieved its best results ever with three gold and three silver medals, led by one-lap runners Alleyne Francique, Hazel Ann Regis and 800-meter specialist Neisha Bernard-Thomas.
Bahamas' 400-metres Edmonton World champion Avard Moncur, who opted out of the individual race, led his team to the top of the podium in the 4x400-metres Relay.
Although only six records were broken, compared to 10 two years ago in Guatemala, 23 of the 41 contested events produced better gold medal winning performances. The lack of athletes forced the cancellation of the women's 1500m, 5000m, Heptathlon and men's Pole Vault.
Twenty of the 26 participating countries medalled, and 13 nations won at least one gold. Colombia and Panama were the most notable absentees.
Javier Clavelo Robinson for the IAAF
To read Terry Finisterre's daily reports click below:
Here are all CAC Champions in Granada:
Men:
Event Mark Athlete Country
100m 10.13 (0.6) Kim Collins SKN
200m 20.43 (0.0) Dominic Demeritte BAH (20.29 2.6m/s in SF)
400m 45.27 Alleyne Francique GRN
800m 1:49.10 Sheridan Kirk TRI
1500m 3:44.78 Juan L. Barrios MEX
5000m 14:29.88 Eduardo Rojas MEX
10000m 29:37.08 Eduardo Rojas MEX
H. Mar. 1:09:14 Pamenos Ballantyne STV
3000 St. 8:39.68 Alexander Greaux PUR
110H 13.85 (0.5) Hugh Henry BAR
400H 50.04 Gregory Lyttle JAM
HJ 2.21 Lisvany Perez CUB
LJ 8.12 (2.3) Kareem Street-Thompson
TJ 17.16 Leevan Sands BAH
SP 19.17 Yoger Medina VEN
DT 54.09 Alfredo Romero PUR
HT 69.59 Yosvany Suarez CUB
JT 72.35 Manuel Fuenmayor VEN
Dec. 7337 Yonelvis Aguila CUBA
20km W 1:22:07 Julio Martinez GUA
4x100m 39.05* Trinidad y Tobago TRT
4x400m 3:02.56 Bahamas BAH
Women:
Event Mark Athlete Country
100m 11.32 (0.6) Fana Ashby TRI
200m 22.45 (0.2) Cydonie Mothersill CAY (22.41 4.5 m/s in SF)
400m 51.56 Hazel Ann Regis GRN
800m 2:04.12 Neisha Bernard-Thomas GRN
10000m 34:29.05 Yudelkis Martinez CUB
H. Mar. 1:31:50 Lourdes Cruz PUR
100H 12.70* Delloreen London-Ennis JAM
400 H 55.12* Allison Beckford JAM
HJ 1.81 Desiree Circhlow BAR
PV 4.00* Alejandra Meza MEX
LJ 6.96 (2.6) Elva Goulbourne JAM (6.95* legal)
TJ 13.89 (2.5) Suzette Lee JAM
SP 18.07 Misleydis Gonzalez CUB
DT 59.07 Yania Ferrales CUB
HT 55.72 Violeta Guzman MEX
JT 56.75 Laverne Eve BAH
10km W 49:06 Rosario Sánchez MEX
4x100m 43.06* Bahamas BAH
4x400m 3:29.75 Jamaica JAM
(*)- meet record
Medals
1. Jamaica (six gold, eigth silver and eight bronze)
2. Mexico (6-3-2)
3. Cuba (6-2-1)
4. Bahamas (5-5-1)
5. Puerto Rico (3-3-4)
6. Trinidad and Tobago (3-3-4)
7. Grenada (3-3-0)
8. Venezuela (2-4-2)
9. Barbados (2-1-4)
10. Cayman Islands (2-0-0)
