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The 2011 Pan-American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico shifted into high gear with the start of athletics program yesterday (24th) at the Telmex Athletics Stadium. There’s no Usain Bolt, no Yohan Blake, no Veronica Campbell-Brown, no Carmelita Jeter. But while the big names from the Caribbean and the US are sparse in this meet, a host of other athletes are gunning for attention in the absence of several world beaters who were on show at the recent Daegu World Championships.
Yesterday, the men’s 100m saw St. Kitts and Nevis’ veteran and World 100m bronze medalist Kim Collins, Jamaica’s Lerone Clarke, Carlos Rafael Jorge of the Dominican Republic (DR), Emmanuel Callender of Trinidad and Tobago, and David Lescay of Cuba advancing to the final. Collins is going in with the fastest qualifying time of 10secs. flat (+0.4 m/s), followed by Clarke and Callender with 10.17 each, done into a 1.9 m/s headwind. Clarke and Callender also clocked 10.15 and 10.13, respectively in their heats.
Trinidad's Brown out, Callender in
Looking quite sluggish in the earlier rounds, Trinidad’s Darrel Brown placed 5th in his heat in 10.63 and did not go through.
In the women’s edition, Nelsis Casabona of Cuba, Hichez Sanchez of the DR, Shakera Reece of Barbados and Laverne Jones of the US Virgin Islands qualified for the final.
Both 100m finals will be contested this evening.
On the field, Jorge Fernandez of Cuba, who finished eighth at the Daegu, won the men's discus throw final with 65.58m. Any of his four fair throws would have won the competition. Fernandez' compatriot Yarisley Silva took the women’s pole vault gold with a personal best 4.75m.
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