JAMAICAN athletes saved their best performances for Sunday’s final day of competition at the Senior CAC Championships in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico.  They picked up nine medals on Sunday, to finish with an overall 25 medals which includes 10 gold six silver and nine bronze. Sunday’s nine medals for the country included four gold and five bronze medals.

Sprint hurdlers Vonette Dixon and Eric Kedo along with Korene Hinds and the Women’s 4x400 metres relay team were the stars for Jamaica on Sunday’s final day as they all pocketed gold medals.

The country picked up its first gold on Sunday when veteran hurdler Dixon produced  a season’s best 12.77 seconds  for a comfortable win.  She got the better of the Colombian pair of Brigitte Marlano and Lina Flores who clocked 12.89 and 12.94 seconds respectively. In the same event Jamaica's Andrea Bliss finished seventh in 13.50 seconds.

It was mixed fortunes for Jamaica in the Men's 110 metres hurdles as fastest qualifier, Hansel Parchment, a student at the University of the West Indies, was disqualified for false starting.  However, there was no stopping Jamaica in their quest for gold as Eric Kedo won in 13.49 seconds to get the better of Hector Cotto of Puerto Rico and Paulo Villar of Columbia who clocked 13.54 and 13.60 seconds for the silver and bronze medals respectively.

After picking up silver in the Women's 1500 metres final earlier in the Competition, Hinds, the 2011 National Champion in the Women's 3000 metres Steeple Chase, had little difficulty in picking up the gold in her pet event as she easily won the final in in 9:54.67 seconds.  Beverly Ramos (9:58.11) of Puerto Rico and Sara Prieto (10:42.85) of Mexico finished second and third for silver and bronze medals respectively.

The country picked up its fourth gold for the day in the penultimate event, the Women’s 4x400 metres relay.  The quartet of Andrea Sutherland, Sherefa Lloyd, Natoya Goule and Patricia Hall stopped the clock at 3:29.86 seconds to get the better of the Dominican Republic (3:34.73) and Trinidad and Tobago (3:34.84).  In the final event however, the Men's 4x400 metres relay, Jamaica had to settle for bronze as they finished third in 3:02.00.  The Bahamas (3:01.33) and Trinidad and Tobago (3:01.65) finished first and second for gold and silver. The members of Jamaica team were Dwight Mullings, Riker Hylton, Dewayne Barrett and Leford Green.  Earlier, Anastasia Leroy, Jason Young, Natoya Goule and Peaches Roach all picked up bronze medals in their individual events. 

In the 200 metres, it was the athletes from Bahamas that dominated on Sunday. In the Women's  final it was 1-2 for the Bahamas as Nivea Smith clocked 22.80 seconds to win from teammate Antonique Strachan, the Carita Under 20 champion in 22.90 seconds. Jamaica’s Leroy had to settle for third in 23.13 seconds.  In the Men's event, Bahamian Michael Matthieu gave his country two from two in the half lap event after winning the gold medal in 20.60 seconds. The silver medal went to Rondell Sorillo of Trinidad and Tobago in 20.64 seconds and once gain Jamaica had to settle for bronze through Young who clocked 20.78 seconds.

Goule also mined bronze in the Women's 800 metres clocking 2:02.83 seconds.  Gabrielle Medino of Mexico captured the gold medal, winning the event in 2:01.50 as Rosemary Almanza of Cuba had to settle for the silver medal in 2:02.23 seconds. Jamaica’s other participant in the Women’s 800 metres, Clora Williams, failed to finish.

Jamaica got its final bronze medal for the day in the Heptathlon as former Convent of Mercy, Alpha athlete Peaches Roach compiled a score of 5589 points over the two days to finish third.

Contributed by Raymond Graham