GAMES

Machel Cedenio added to Trinidad and Tobago’s medal bag at the Pan American Games in Toronto, Canada, yesterday. The 19-year-old athlete clocked 44.70 seconds to seize silver in the men’s 400 metres event.

Dominican Republic’s 2012 Olympic silver medallist Luguelin Santos was golden this time, capturing the title with a 44.56 run. The bronze medal was bagged by Kyle Clemons in 44.84, the American just getting the better of Costa Rica’s Nery Brenes (44.85).

The other T&T quarter-miler in the final, Jarrin Solomon completed his lap of the track in 45.20 seconds to finish fifth.

Cedenio’s silver takes the T&T medal haul in Toronto to four, adding to Cleopatra Borel’s women’s shot put gold, cyclist Njisane Phillip’s men’s sprint silver, and swimmer George Bovell’s men’s 50m freestyle bronze.

Cedenio, the 2014 world junior champion, is only the fourth T&T athlete in Pan Am Games history to earn a 400m medal.

Basil Ince was the first. His silver, though, was as part of the British West Indies team that represented the region in 1959. Cliff Bertrand claimed bronze in 1963. And in 1991, Ian Morris snapped up silver in the one-lap event.

Bertrand has three Pan Am medals. One of them, however, was as part of the men’s 4x100m British West Indies team in 1959. In addition to his 400 bronze in T&T colours in 1963, he took home bronze in the sprint relay.

Reyare Thomas qualified for today’s women’s 200m final when she clocked a wind-aided 22.88 seconds for fifth spot in the second semifinal. She progressed to the 5.40pm championship race as a “fastest loser”.

Thomas’ T&T teammate, Kamaria Durant was fourth in the opening semi in 22.94. The clocking was not fast enough to earn her a lane in the championship race.

Durant was on fire in the first round. She won heat two in a personal best 22.74 seconds, but could not repeat that performance in the semis and was eliminated.

In the opening first round heat, Thomas was third in 23.30.

T&T’s Quincy Wilson finished 10th in yesterday’s men’s discus event with a 43.65 metres throw.

T&T will not be represented in the men’s 200m final. In the semi-final round, Rondel Sorrillo finished sixth in heat two in 20.61 seconds, and Kyle Greaux was seventh in heat one in 20.69. Jamaican Rasheed Dwyer assumed the favourite’s mantle when he won the opening semi in a personal best 19.80--a new Pan Am Games record.

In round one, Greaux secured an automatic semi-final berth when he finished third in heat two in 20.75 seconds. Sorrillo, fifth in heat three in 20.63, advanced as a “fastest loser”.

Olympic champion Keshorn Walcott is tipped for gold in today’s men’s javelin. His T&T teammate, Shakiel Waithe is also in the field. The event is scheduled to start at 5.35pm.

At 10.20 this morning, Mikel Thomas competes in the opening round of the men’s 110m hurdles.

Walcott’s elder brother, Elton Walcott will bid for honours in the men’s triple jump. That event starts at 11.35am.

The Red, White and Black will also be on show today in the four relay events. The men’s and women’s 4x100m and 4x400m teams will bid for championship race berths.

At 9.00am tomorrow, the T&T men’s hockey team will do battle with Cuba in the seventh-place playoff. Yesterday, United States edged T&T 2-1, and Mexico got the better of the Cubans 3-1.

United States went ahead in the 27th minute through William Holt. Tariq Marcano struck back for T&T in the 36th. But just two minutes later, Tyler Sundeen restored the lead for the Americans.

T&T and Cuba battled to a 2-2 draw when they met in a Pool “A” match, last week.

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Cleopatra Borel is the very first woman and only the sixth Trinidad and Tobago athlete in history to strike gold at the Pan American Games. She joins cycling’s triple gold medallist Roger Gibbon, swimming’s two-time champion George Bovell, two other cyclists, Leslie King and Gene Samuel, and weightlifter Rodney Wilkes.

Borel held off a spirited challenge from United States thrower Jillian Camarena-Williams at the CIBC Pan Am/Parapan Am Athletics Stadium in Toronto, Canada, yesterday to capture the women’s shot put title.

The T&T veteran’s winning effort of 18.67 metres came in round two. In the sixth and final round, Camarena-Williams came close to overhauling Borel, the American throwing the iron ball 18.65m to claim silver.

But in the end, it was a deserving victory for Borel. She had the best series on the day, bettering 18 metres with her first four throws – 18.39m, 18.67m, 18.56m and 18.24m. The Mayaro field athlete fouled her fifth attempt. And then, with the ninth T&T gold medal in the 64-year history of the Pan Am Games already assured, she threw 17.81m in round six.

Bronze went to Chile’s Natalia Duco with an 18.01m throw.

Borel now has a complete set of Pan Am Games medals--yesterday’s gold, silver in 2011, and bronze in 2007. She has joined an elite group of T&T athletes with three or more medals at the hemispheric Games.

Bovell is the “club president” with six medals—two gold, two silver, two bronze. Sprinter Mike Agostini has five medals--two silver, three bronze. Two of Agostini’s medals were captured for T&T at the 1955 Games, while the other three, including a 4x100m bronze, were earned as part of a British West Indies team four years later.

Gibbon is next on the list with three gold medals and a silver for a grand total of four. And Samuel is tied for fourth with Borel at three medals apiece. Samuel also has a complete set—gold, silver and bronze.

Keston Bledman finished just outside the medals in yesterday’s men’s 100 metres dash. The T&T sprinter clocked 10.12 seconds for fourth spot.

Canadian Andre De Grasse was golden in 10.05. Barbadian Ramon Gittens seized silver in 10.07, while bronze was bagged by St Kitts and Nevis athlete Antoine Adams in 10.09.

Earlier, Bledman won the first men’s century semifinal in 10.10 seconds.

Kelly-Ann Baptiste was fifth in the women’s 100m final, the T&T track star getting to the line in 11.05 seconds.

Sherone Simpson, running way out in lane eight, upset the field, the Jamaican grabbing gold in 10.95 seconds. Nineteen-year-old Ecuadorian Angela Tenorio stole silver with a personal best 10.99 run, forcing American Barbara Pierre to settle for bronze in 11.01.

In a close contest for fourth spot, Brazilian Rosangela Santos clocked 11.04 seconds to just get the better of Baptiste.

Canadian Khamica Bingham was sixth in 11.13, while seventh spot went to Brazil’s Claudia Ana Silva (11.15).

Another T&T sprinter, Semoy Hackett finished eighth in a season’s best 11.16 seconds.

In the semis, Baptiste topped heat one in a wind-aided 11.05 seconds, while Hackett was fifth in heat two in a windy 11.16. Hackett progressed to the championship race as a “fastest loser”.

T&T’s Sparkle McKnight finished fifth in the women’s 400m hurdles final. Coming off the final turn, McKnight was in contention for bronze, but faded on the home straight and finished outside the medals. Shamier Little stamped her class on the race, the American running away with gold in 55.50 seconds. Canadian Sarah Wells (56.17) and Uruguay’s Deborah Rodriguez (56.41) picked up silver and bronze, respectively.

Machel Cedenio and Jarrin Solomon square off against each other today in the 7.20pm men’s 400m final. Both T&T quartermilers progressed automatically from the semis.

Cedenio clocked 46.06 seconds to finish second in the second heat, while Solomon clocked 46.16 for third spot in the opening semi. Dominican Republic’s 2012 Olympic silver medallist Luguelin Santos won heat one in 45.72. And in heat two, Costa Rican Nery Brenes was home first in 45.85.

Cedenio has been drawn in lane six for the championship race, alongside Santos, in five. Solomon, however, will have his work cut out way out in lane eight.

Emanuel Mayers was third in the second of three men’s 400m hurdles semifinal heats. The T&T athlete crossed the line in 50.81 seconds to secure ninth spot overall, just missing out on the eight-man final.

Janeil Bellille bowed out of the women’s 400m event when she finished seventh in the opening semifinal in 54.41 seconds.

Deandra Daniel’s 1.75m clearance earned the T&T athlete 15th spot in the women’s high jump. St Lucia’s Levern Spencer topped the field with a 1.94m jump. Antigua’s Priscilla Frederick and Barbadian Akela Jones captured silver and bronze, respectively, both jumpers clearing the bar at 1.91m.

From 7.05 this evening, Quincy Wilson will battle for honours in the men’s discus. This morning, Reyare Thomas and Kamaria Durant run in the opening round of the women’s 200m. And in the men’s 200m, Kyle Greaux and Rondel Sorrillo will face the starter.

In men’s hockey, T&T square off against United States at 11.30am in a 5th to 8th playoff match. Late on Tuesday, T&T were blanked 3-0 by Canada in a quarterfinal fixture.

In a Pool “B” match-up, last Saturday, the Americans edged T&T 2-1.

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Thursday July 23^rd, Toronto, Canada– World Junior Champion Machel Cedenio finished second, claiming a silver medal for Trinidad and Tobago in the men’s 400 metre final with a time of 44.70. Fellow quarter miler Jarrin Solomon was 5^th in 45.20. Trinidad and Tobago’s medal total at this year’s Pan Am Games now stands at four thanks to the efforts of Cedenio, Cleopatra Borel, Njisane Phillip and George Bovell. Cedenio like Phillip will also receive the silver medal bonus from the 10Golds24 Athlete Welfare and Preparation fund.

Following his run he said, “This feels good. I’m satisfied with my run. Thank god I came out injury free.” Cedenio expressed surprise at the medal bonus programme from the TTOC saying, “That’s really good. It’s extra motivation to climb the podium.” World Champs and Stockholm are up next for this young champion and newly minted Pan Am Silver medallist.

Compatriot Solomon also took heart in his performance saying, “I’m in good shape and I’m ready to run fast at worlds. It will happen. I can run the times the medallists are running.”

In the women’s 200m Kamaria Durant finished 4^th in her semi-final heat in a time of 22.94, while Reyare Thomas finished 5^th in a time of 22.88. Thomas will advance to tomorrow’s final as one of the two fastest losers. Earlier in the day, Durant ran a new personal best in qualifications with a time 22.74. Following that race she said,  “The sun was really hot but I’m really happy I was able to overcome the heat and run a personal best. Hopefully I can go faster and cut that time down in the semis.” Unfortunately Durant wasn’t able to do so and will not advance to the finals.

Over on the men’s side Kyle Greaux and Rondel Sorillo were unable to advance to the final.  Greaux finished 7^th in semi final one in a time of 20.69. The winner of that race Jamaican Richard Dwyer broke the 44-year-old Pan Am record with a time of 19.80. Rondel Sorillo finished 6^th in semi final two with a time of 20.61. Following his race Sorillo said, “I felt flat. Today wasn’t a good day. Relays are next.”

In the discus, Quincy Wilson finished 10^th. Of his performance he said, “It wasn’t great. I had nothing to lose but unfortunately I wasn’t on my A game.” Out in field hockey, the men’s team lost their 5^th to 8^th round match against the United States 2-1.

Track and field action continues tomorrow with relay qualifications and the men’s javelin final featuring national record holder, Keshorn Walcott.