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Campbell, Wright push T&T to 7 NACAC medals
Rae-Ann Serville of the Memphis Pioneers Athletic Club. Anthony Harris - Anthony Harris

Campbell, Wright push T&T to 7 NACAC medals

Go Back : Guardian : Nigel Simon : 13.07.2021

The pair of Clement Campbell and Iantha Wright both medal for T&T on the final day of the three-day North American, Central American and Caribbean (NACAC) Under-18, Under-20 and Under-23 Championships at the Estadio Nacional in San Jose, Costa Rica, on Sunday.

Campbell bagged a silver medal in the men's Under-23 Long Jump while Wright secured bronze in the Under-23 women's 200 metres final.

Campbell, 21, had a best leap of 7.37 metres on his final of sixth attempts.

He earlier had an opening effort of 6.94m followed by 5.43m, 6.74 and 7.31m on his first four attempts, before he fouled the fifth attempt.

Jamaican Shakwon Coke, 21, won gold with a best jump of 7.88m on his fifth attempt after he opened with a 7.82m, followed by 6.62 on the second and foul efforts on the third and fourth.,

Third place went to Costa Rican Rasheed, who had produced an effort of 7.15m on his first attempt, and 7.08m on his final attempt, his only other legal entry.

Antigua & Barbuda's Taeco O'Garro, the fourth and final competitor in the field produced 7. 01 m on his fourth effort. He also jumped, 6.88m, 6.65m, and 6.98m.

Competing in a five-woman field 200m final, the 21-year-old Wright crossed the line in 24.40 seconds for third spot behind the Dominican Republic winner, Floridalisa Cofil who won in 23.89, and Grenada's Halle Hazzard, who took silver in 24.07.

Jamaican Grizell Scarlett placed fourth in 24.45 while Costa Rican Angeline Danisha Pondler Estrada did not finish the race.

T&T's other competitor on Sunday, Shakeem McKay missed out on the medals when he ended in the fifth spot in the men's Under-20 200m final in 21.65.

Wayne McCoy of Bahamas won a nail-biting final in 21.17, just ahead of his countryman, Terrence Jones, who clocked 21.18 while Jamaican Sandrey Alex Davison was third in 21.34, and Grenada's Nazzlo John, fourth in 21.60.

The Costa Rican duo of Alejandro Antonio Ricketts Martinez (22.34) and Stiver Josue Alfaro Leon (23.12) ended sixth and seventh respectively.

Overall, T&T ended with seven medals over the three days, three gold medals, two silver and two bronze.

The trio of Tyriq Horsford, Rae-Ann Serville and Dillon Leacock were the gold medal winners for T&T while

Young T&T javelin thrower Horsford and 400 metres sprinter Serville claimed gold medals on Saturday as day two of the meeting.

Horsford delivered a distant 73.06 metres which came on his fifth attempt to hold off a dangerous Keyshawn Strachan of the Bahamas who threw a distance of 72.13, well ahead of Armando Caballero Espinosa of Panama, who ended third with a distance of 63.50.

Strachan, the silver medallist, took the early front position after moving from his 67.81 metres throw in his first attempt to 72.13 metres which threatened to be the winning throw early.

In the 400 metres Under-20 women's sprint, Serville crossed the finish line in a time of 54.85 seconds to seal the win.

She held off second-place Akrisa Eristee of the British Virgin Islands (BVI) in 55.66 seconds and third Melanie Matamoros of Costa Rica (59.78) seconds.

Leacock was the lone entrant in the Under-20 men's 4oom hurdles and won in 53.45 seconds.

Leah Bertrand and Kion Benjamin were the other medal winners for T&T with silver and bronze medals, respectively.

Bertrand placed second with 11.70 (.693) seconds, edging Antigua and Barbuda's Joella Lloyd 11.70 (.697) at the line in the women's Under-20 100 metres. Winning the gold medal was Bahamian Camille Rutherford with 11.36.

Olympic-bound Benjamin picked up T&T's second medal in the men's U-23 version of the dash, a bronze medal with a time of 10.40 to finish behind winner Kuron Griffith of Barbados with 10.33 and Jamaican Odaine McPherson (10.39).

T&T other athletes in the event, Tyrell Edwards, placed fifth with a 10.56-clocking.

Earlier in the morning session, Benjamin advanced to the medal race after winning semifinal one of two in a time of 10.53 to be an automatic qualifier at the first three places of each heat, plus the next two fastest times progressed.

Edwards moved on as one of the fastest losers, crossing fifth in the other semifinal heat with a 10.68-timing. Winning the second heat was Griffith with a windy 10.34 (4.1).

The seven medals won placed T&T seventh overall on the 18-country standings, well behind champions Jamaica who tallied 67 medals, inclusive of 39 gold, 18 silver and 10 bronze.

Host Costa Rica was second on the medal table with 62 medals, 19 gold, 20 silver and 23 bronze followed by the Bahamas with 17 52 (17 gold, 18 silver, seven bronze); Guatemala with 16 (five gold, eight silver, three bronze), Barbados with seven (five gold, one silver, one bronze) and St Vincent and The Grenadines with seven, (three gold, three silver, one bronze).