media_artricles :: 2012

James gets T&T's second NACAC bronze

Thrower Hilenn James bagged Trinidad and Tobago's second bronze medal at the North America, Central America and Caribbean (NACAC) Under-23 Track and Field Championships, in Irapuato, Mexico on Saturday evening with third place in the women's discus throw.

James launched the discus 48.90 metres to pick up her medal, after missing out in the shot put a day earlier, when she finished fourth.

Ashlee Smith, though, was one step behind her T&T compatriot, copping fourth spot thanks to her 48.73 throw. The US duo of Anna Jelmini (53.93) and Skylar White (50.60) were first and second respectively.

Sparkle McKnight missed out on bronze and an Olympic qualifying time for the 400-metre event, as she finished fourth in that race.

Only 0.35 seconds separated Mc Knight from the medals, but more importantly, her 52.79 clocking was outside the 52.35 Olympic "B" standard, which would allow her to run the 400 at the 2012 London Games starting later this month.\Another T&T quarter-miler, Shawna Fermin, was sixth in 53.42. US runner Rebecca Alexander won the race in 51.31, ahead of second-placed Haitian Marlena Wesh (51.23) and Jodi-Ann Muir of Jamaica (52.44, third).

In the preliminaries on Friday, McKnight was an automatic qualifier for the final with a 53.78 clocking, and Fermin progressed as a "fastest loser" after finishing fourth in her heat in 54.45.

Yesterday Moriba Morain was due to run in the 200m semi-finals, while McKnight, Fermin, Jessica James and Alena Brooks were expected team up in the 4x400m relay event.

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