BARBADIAN ATHLETES won one silver and three bronze medals over the weekend at the North American Central American and Caribbean Senior Athletics Championships in San Jose, Costa Rica.
However, none of those who had not qualified were able to win a gold medal and punch an automatic ticket to the IAAF World Championships later this month in Beijing, China.
Instead the men’s 4×100 metres relay team set a new national record of 38.55 seconds to win bronze in the event. The quartet of Levi Cadogan, Ramon Gittens, Nicholas Deshong and Burkheart Ellis lowered the time from 38.65 set at the Pan American Games.
Jamaica took the gold in a new meet record of 38.07 seconds and the united States were second in 38.45.
It proved to be a good meet for Gittens and Cadogan who also won individual sprint medals. Gittens took silver in the men’s 100 metres in 10.11 seconds (0.1 wind) with Cadogan following closely to take the bronze in 10.13 seconds.
Kierre Beckles also won bronze in the women’s 100 metre hurdles which had a huge wind of 4.1 metres per second. Her time was 12.88 seconds, while Americans Lolo Jones (12.63) and Tenaya Jones (12.68) took gold and silver, respectively.
Akela Jones was seventh in 13.08.
Several other Barbadians advanced to finals over the weekend.
Sade Sealy finished eighth in the women’s 400 metres in 54 second flat and Sonia Gaskin was also eighth in the 800 metres in 2 minutes 10.86.
Anthonio Mascoll was sixth in the men’s 800 metres in 1:48.18 and Greggmar Swift was fifth in the 110 metres hurdles in 13.52 seconds.
Deshong also reached the 200 metres final but was a non-starter and the women’s 4×400 metres team also withdrew from that event.
Several athletes will now turn their attention to the World Championships which will run from August 22 to 30. (SAT)
