media_artricles :: 2015

Keshorn hits Pan Am gold

Track and Field continues to be Trinidad and Tobago’s most successful individual sporting discipline at the 2015 Pan American Games as reigning Olympic men’s javelin champion and favourite, Keshorn Walcott, captured gold yesterday, following Mikel Thomas’ personal best and silver medal showing in the Men’s 110 metre hurdles event at the CIBC Pan Am/ Parapan Am Athletics Stadium in Toronto, Canada.

On his second attempt, the Toco-born athlete easily launched the steel spear 83.27m to grab top spot. Staking claim to silver was American Riley Dolezal, who threw his season’s best distance of 81.62m, followed by Brazilian bronze receiver Julio Cesar De Oliveira (80.94m). On Walcott’s first attempt however, he threw 79.03m, fouled his third and passed on the others. Additionally, compatriot Shakiel Waithe was 12th after three attempts, with his furthest distance at 73.21m.

Meanwhile, Thomas, a two-time Olympian, clocked 13.17s to bag silver after facing a menacing field including eventual winner, American David Oliver, who shattered the four-year standing Pan American record in 13.07s, while bronze receiver Brathwaite (13.21s), his fourth placed countryman Greggmar Swift (13.28s) and fifth ranked Cuban Jhoanis Portilla (13.30s) all clocked personal best times.

Walcott and Thomas now join the elite list of TT athletes who have medalled at the Pan Am Games. So far, TT’s medal tally stands at six overall – two gold (Walcott, Cleopatra Borel); three silver (Thomas, Machel Cedenio, Njisane Phillip) and one bronze (George Bovell III).

In the Men’s triple jump however, Walcott’s younger sibling Elton, placed ninth overall.

Elton leapt a distance of 16.15m and finished well under one metre behind eventual gold medallist, Pedro Pablo Pichardo (17.54m).

Meanwhile, the national women’s 4x400m relay team advanced to last night’s final race after finishing with the fourth fastest time (3:31.21) and a season’s best showing in semi-final two. Topping the field in this heat was USA, over four seconds ahead (3:26.40).

Similarly, the TT male quartet also ran a season’s best time of 3:01.58 in their semi-final two showing which saw them line up in the medal race last night.

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