Christopher Williams (JAM) with World 400m silver medal (© Getty Images)
San Salvador, El SalvadorJamaica’s fourtime World Championships 100m hurdles finalist Dionne Rose-Henley took her country’s first title in the 19th Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games in San Salvador, yesterday, but then announced her retirement.
Elsewhere on the third day of athletics competition, fellow Jamaican World 200m silver medallist Christopher Williams, one of a smattering of world stars at these games, qualified for the 200m final, having placed second in his semi with 21.11, behind Mexico's defending champion Juan Pablo Toledo, who clocked 21.03. The first 200m semi-final was won by the British Virgin Islands’ newly crowned CAC Games 100m champion Dion Crabbe, in 21.04.
Rose-Henley, 33, who was sixth at the 2001 World championships had a slow start but enough class to defend her 100m hurdles title - from Maracaibo'98 - with a 13.67 second run, and was followed home by Colombia's Princesa Oliveros (13.72) and Haiti's Nadin Faustin (13.84).
"I did not expect to win because I had a bad start, but I was able to recover my pace and cross the finish line first", said Rose-Henley. "I will retire. I want to start a family. In Jamaica they want me to stay until the 2004 Olympics, but I don't think I'll get there".
In her 14 years as a hurdler, the Kingston athlete qualified for four IAAF World Championship finals, finishing seventh in Gothenburg'95, fifth in Athens'97, and sixth in both Seville'99 and Edmonton'2001. At the Olympic Games, she made it to the semi-final in Barcelona'92 and placed fifth in Atlanta'96, where in her semi-final she set her personal best of 12.64. In the long jump, she established a 6.72m PB in 1995 when winning the national championships.
Jamaica, one of the area's strongest countries in athletics, has not sent many of its stars to San Salvador, as they are resting or beginning their training towards the 2003 season.
Monday was an epic day for Colombia, with two gold medals and two CAC Games records. Pole vaulter Milena Agudelo cleared 3.90 on her first attempt to take the title and smash Mexican Alejandra Meza's 3.70 Games record from 1998. As the women's new javelin model was for the first time being constested in the CAC Games, Zuleyma Aramendiz emerged as the inaugural record holder with a below par 56.63 effort, ahead of her countrywoman, Sabina Moya (55.73) who is the 2002 Ibero-american champion and an 62.62 thrower on her day.
Mexico only grabbed one title on Tuesday, when Pablo Olmedo won the 5000m, two days after bettering the 10,000m Games record to 28:36.67.
In the hammer throw, Razl Rivera took Guatemala's first athletics title since the 1966 San Juan Games, with a modest 65.99 mark.
The athletics tournament has a rest day today (Wednesday) and the fourth day on Thursday will feature nine finals: women's 200, 800, 5000, 400m hurdles and men's 200, 800, 400m hurdles, long jump and javelin.
Apart from the 200 finals, Surinam's World 800m bronze medallist Letitia Vriesde will aim for her fifth individual gold and third consecutive in her favourite distance.
Javier Clavelo Robinson for the IAAF
The medallists on the third day of athletics were as follows:
Men:
5000m
1. Pablo Olmedo (MEX) 14:07.82
2. Freddy Gonzalez (VEN) 14:08.45
3. David Galvan (MEX) 14:11.95
HT:
1. Razl Rivera (GUA) 65.99
2. Santos Vega (PUR) 65.35
3. Aldo Bello (VEN) 65.35
Women:
100 m hurdles:
1. Dionne Rose-Henley (JAM) 13.67
2. Princesa Oliveros (COL) 13.72
3. Nadin Faustin (HAI) 13.84
PV:
1. Milena Agudelo (COL) 3.90 CR
2. Alejandra Meza (MEX) 3.80
3. Andrea Zambrana (PUR) 3.80
JT:
1. Zuleyma Aramendiz (COL) 56.63 inaugural CR
2. Sabina Moya (COL) 55.73
3. Nereyda Bustamante (MEX) 46.51
