media_artricles :: 2017

400 metres relay boys disqualified

...4x100 boys get silver, Gittens fourth

Trinidad Guardian :: 24.07.2017

T&T's 4x400 metres boys relay team was disqualified after crossing the line in third position in the final at the Pan American (Under-20) Junior Track and Field Championship at the Estadio Chan Chan, in Trujillo, Peru, yesterday.

The T&T relay quartet of Zidan Martin, Judah Taylor, Terry Frederick and Jacob St Clair combined for a time of 3:10.36, however, their joy later turned to sorrow after the disqualification in the race won by USA, in a new Pan Am and Junior World Record of 3:00.33 minutes, while Jamaica (3:03.77) to silver and Canada (3:10.36) was elevated to bronze.

Ecuador (3:17.14) and Chile (3:17.34) were fourth and fifth respectively while Venezuela was also disqualified.

On Saturday night, the boys team of 4x100 sprinters, Akanni Hislop, Jalen Purcell, Tyrell Edwards and Jerod Elcock had much better fortune as they combined for bronze in 39.90 seconds behind USA (39.33) and Jamaica (39.74) to double T&T's medal tally to two, after USA-based sprinter, Khalifa St Fort retained her 100 metres crown with an 11.32 clocking.

T&T's Tyra Gittens also missed out on a medal by the closest of margins yesterday in the Girls Heptathlon by eight points.

Gittens followed up her performances from Saturday with a third placed finish in the long jump (5.78 metres), but eighth in javelin (31.95m) and seventh in the 800m (two minutes, 40.41 seconds) to drop out of the top three and end in fourth spot with 5,237 points, eight adrift of Canada's Dallyssa Huggins (5,237).

On Saturday, Gittens forced herself into medal contention with a second placed finish in the 100m hurdles (14.11 seconds), behind Cuban Adriana Rodriguez; then a three way second placed finish in the high jump (1.72m) with Ecuador's Joice Micolta and Rodriguez behind Huggins; fifth in shot put (11.62m) and second in the 200m (25.01 seconds), behind Rodriguez again.

Rodriguez was the overall champion with a new record of 5,733 points to surpass the 5,600 mark of countrywoman Regla Cardenas in 1993 while USA's Ariel Okorie took second with 5,253.

Another T&T athlete in Peru, was Konnel Jacob who ended 11th in the men's shot put with a best of 16.30m to go with his ninth placed in the discuss with a best of 51.28m.

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