Following victory in the girls long jump and a third place finish in the girls 200m yesterday, the final day of competition at the World Youth Championships, Jamaica copped another gold in the girls medley relay to stay ahead of the Caribbean contingents in medal haul.
The island nation ended the five-day competition with 4 gold 1 silver 4 bronze, ahead of rivals Bahamas, 3 gold and 1 bronze, and Cuba (2-1-1). Topping the table was the US (6-4-6), followed by Kenya (5-5-4).
Starting the final day of competition as the second farthest jumper in the field but finding herself in sixth position after five jumps, Chanice Porter of Jamaica leaped to a dramatic 6.22m on her sixth and final jump to give her country its first medal in the event and its third gold. She began her final set of jumps with a 5.90m leap, went up to 6.03m in round two but remained at that mark as she fouled in rounds three and four, and dropped back to 5.89m in round five.
The 17-year-old was also taking her second medal at the Championships, having won bronze in the high jump two days prior.
Then came the penultimate event, the medley or Swedish relay for girls (100m-200m, 300m, 400m), in which Jamaica posted the fastest time in the heats. Christania Williams, the 100m bronze medalist ran lead off and put her team in a good position when she handed over to 200m bronze medalist Shericka Jackson, who opened up a two-meter lead before handing over to Chris-Ann Gordon, who she flew the full 300m. Olivia James, the 400m silver medalist, was sent home by Gordon with a five-meter lead but started to tire in the home stretch as the American anchor closed rapidly. James had just enough to hold her off for victory, stopping the clock at 2mins, 03.43secs – a new World Youth best time.
Third Gold for Bahamas
The Bahamas’s third and final gold also came yesterday in the men’s 200m, when Stephen Newbold raced to a personal best (PB) 20.89secs ahead of Jamaica’s 100m gold medalist O’Dail Todd with his PB 21.00.
Newbold returned to run the third leg of the boys medley, but he and teammates Tommy Outten, Delano Davis and Andre Wells could manage only fifth place in a PB 1:52.51. The race was won by the US in 1:49.47, a World Youth best time.
Trinidad and Tobago (Ruebin Walters; Jereem Richards; Theon Lewis; Machel Cedenio) was sixth in a season best 1:52.77.