Barbados and Jamaica brought the curtain down on the track and field events at the 23rd Central American and Caribbean Games (CAC) Games last night with scintillating runs in the men’s and women’s 4×100 meters relays respectively to win gold.
Barbados’ quartet of Shane Brathwaite, Mario Burke, Burkheart Ellis and Jaquone Hoyte set a new national record of 38.41, eclipsing the old mark of 38.55, to win the men’s relay and give the country its second gold medal of the meet.
They were followed home by the Dominican Republic in 38.71, while Jamaica had to settle for bronze, finishing in a time of 38.79.
In the women’s equivalent, Jamaica’s team of Jura Levy, Sherone Simpson, 100 meters champion Jonielle Smith and Natasha Morrison clocked 43.41 seconds to take the gold, beating Trinidad and Tobago (43.61) and the Dominican Republic which placed third in a season’s best 43.68 seconds.
Jamaica’s women’s 4×400 meters team copped silver with Derriann Hill, 400 meters champion Tiffany James, Alesha Kelly and Junelle Bromfield running 3 minutes 30.67 seconds behind winners Cuba who ran a championship record 3:29.48 seconds.
Earlier, T&T’s 2012 Olympic Champion Keshorn Walcott grabbed gold in the men’s javelin with his last throw.
Walcott set the bar early, opening with an 81.78 meters-throw to grab the top spot. He fouled the second throw and sat out the next two rounds, but was overtaken by Grenadian Anderson Peters after his fourth throw measured 81.80.
Walcott returned in the fifth round with a shaky throw of 70.91 meters, but returned in the final round to launch the iron-spear 84.47m, a mark that could not be contested by his closest challenger Peters, who reached 80.45m in his final attempt and had to settle for silver.
There was also gold for St Lucia’s Lavern Spencer, who jumped 1.90 meters to win gold in the women’s high jump.
Boxer Michael Alexander added a silver to T&T’s medal haul after he was overwhelmed by Olympic bronze medalist Cuba’s Lazaro Alvarez in the men’s lightweight (60kg) final.
Alexander lost on points, 5-0, to the experienced Cuban boxer, who won the lightweight gold at the 2014 CAC Games.
 Games last night with scintillating runs in the men’s and women’s 4×100 meters relays respectively to win gold.){kind=link}