Jamaican athlete Navasky Anderson clinched the nation’s last medal at the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile, with a commendable bronze medal performance in the men’s 800m final on Saturday.
In a remarkable achievement, the 23-year-old Anderson secured his first senior medal for Jamaica during the penultimate day of competition in the event that ran from October 20 to November 5. Anderson completed the race with a time of 1 minute and 46.40 seconds, finishing behind Venezuela’s gold medalist Jose Maita, who clocked 1 minute and 45.69 seconds, and Jesus Lopez of Mexico, who secured the silver medal with a time of 1 minute and 46.04 seconds.
Anderson had previously represented Jamaica at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary, earlier in the summer, where he faced disqualification during the heats of his specialty event. His outstanding performance earlier this year included breaking his own national record with a time of 1 minute and 44.70 seconds at the DC Track Championships on July 30, which allowed him to meet the World Championships qualifying standard.
With this bronze medal, Jamaica’s overall medal tally at the Pan American Games reached six, consisting of one gold and five bronze medals, a performance that fell below the nation’s record haul of 19 medals achieved at the previous edition in 2019.
Below-par performance
Jamaica’s below-par performance positioned the country at 21st place on the medal table. The United States topped the table with an impressive total of 267 medals (112 gold, 73 silver, 82 bronze), followed by Brazil with 191 medals (60 gold, 67 silver, 64 bronze), Mexico in third place with 129 medals (48 gold, 32 silver, 49 bronze), Canada with 159 medals (46 gold, 52 silver, 61 bronze), and Cuba completing the top five nations with a total of 67 medals (29 gold, 21 silver, and 17 bronze).
In the women’s equivalent 800m event, Cuba showcased their dominance with a first and third-place finish, courtesy of Sahily Diago and Rose Almanza, respectively. Diago secured gold with a time of 2 minutes and 2.71 seconds, while Almanza clocked 2 minutes and 3.68 seconds.
The United States had two representatives in the race, with Brooke Feldmeier (2 minutes and 6.10 seconds) finishing sixth and Breana Dera (2 minutes and 7.27 seconds) coming in seventh place.
In the men’s javelin throw, Jamaican athletes Elvis Graham and Zaavan Richards faced a challenging competition. Graham recorded a throw of 67.86 meters, placing him 10th, while Richards achieved a distance of 60.27 meters, securing the 12th position. Curtis Thompson of the United States emerged as the winner of the event with a throw of 79.65 meters, while Guyana’s Leslain Baird claimed third place with 78.23 meters.
American Rachel McCoy wins women’s high jump
The women’s high jump event saw victory for the United States, as Rachel McCoy cleared 1.87 meters to secure the gold medal. Her teammate, Rylee Anderson, managed 1.75 meters, earning her a seventh-place finish. Marisa Senyu of the Dominican Republic took the third spot with a clearance of 1.81 meters.
Cuba triumphed in the women’s 4x400m relay final, achieving a time of 3 minutes and 33.15 seconds, while the Dominican Republic finished second with 3 minutes and 47.27 seconds. The United States team secured the fifth position with a time of 3 minutes and 35.91 seconds.
In the men’s 4x400m final, the Dominican Republic clinched third place with a time of 3 minutes and 5.98 seconds, while the United States team finished fifth with a time of 3 minutes and 8.67 seconds.
