T&T bags most CAC medals ever.
T&T Guardian Reports.
Sheridan Kirk, Dexter St Louis, Chinedum Osuji and the 4 x 400 metres men relay team won silver medals, as T&T finished with a record haul of 21 medals at the 20th Central American and Caribbean Games in Cartagena, Colombia, which ended yesterday.
The medal haul comprising one gold, nine silver and 11 bronze, surpassed the 17 medals won at the 2002 Games in El Salvador.
On Saturday night, final day of athletics, Kirk ran out of steam in the last 60 metres and had to settle for second spot, while countryman Jamaal James was sixth.
Kirk took control of the race from the very beginning and entered the home stretch with a good lead, but he faded in the last 60 metres and the fast finishing Cuban, Andy González, 18, overtook him 20 metres from the finish.
Gonzalez’ time was one minute, 46.26 seconds, a new Central American and Caribbean junior record. It moved him up to the fourth place in the 2006 World Junior list and confirms him as a major medal contender for the International Amateur Athletics Federation World Junior Championships in Beijing, August 15 to 20.
Kirk (1:46.55) and Cuban Maury Castillo (1:47.60) completed the podium positions.
James, a gold medallist at the CAC Junior Track and Field Championships in T&T last month clocked 1:48.98.
T&T’s 4 x 400 metres team also grabbed silver, finishing in three minutes, 02.65 seconds behind the Jamaican quartet of Sanjay Ayre, Leford Green, Ricardo Chambers and Bryan Steele in 3:01.78 minutes.
Defending champions, the Dominican Republic were third in 3:03.25. The team included 2004 Olympic and two-time world 400 metres hurdles champion, Felix Sanchez, who ran the first leg. (NS)
