Jamaica added another medal to its Central American and Caribbean Games tally Thursday, with the men’s 4×100-meter relay team securing silver at the Felix Sanchez Olympic Stadium, a day after Chad Wright delivered a commanding gold-medal performance in the men’s discus.
Travis Williams, Bouwahjgie Nkrumie, Javari Thomas and Tyquendo Tracey combined for a 38.08-second performance to finish second behind the host Dominican Republic, which captured the gold in a Games-record 37.98 seconds. Puerto Rico completed the podium in 38.12 seconds.
The relay silver provided a strong finish to a session that also saw Jamaica come within fractions of additional medals in both the men’s and women’s 200m and the women’s 4x100m.
One-hundredth keeps Jamaica out of women’s relay medals
Jamaica’s women came painfully close to joining the men on the podium.
Natasha Morrison, Krystal Sloley, Jura Levy and Niesha Burgher clocked 43.42 seconds in the 4x100m final, missing a medal by just 0.01 second.
Puerto Rico and Cuba both ran 43.41 seconds to share the silver and bronze positions, while the Dominican Republic completed a sprint-relay sweep by winning the women’s race in a Games-record 43.00 seconds.
The result continued a pattern of exceptionally tight margins for Jamaica during the championships, with several athletes finishing just outside medal positions.
Tracey and Goldson miss 200m podium
Tracey was unable to add an individual medal to his relay silver, finishing fourth in the men’s 200m in 20.66 seconds. Jamaica’s Kadrian Goldson followed in fifth at 20.73 seconds.
Puerto Rico’s Jose Figueroa claimed the title in 19.98 seconds, with the Dominican Republic’s Alexander Ogando taking silver in 20.47 seconds and Trinidad and Tobago’s Aaron Charles securing bronze in 20.63 seconds.
Burgher suffered a similarly frustrating result in the women’s 200m, finishing fourth in 23.48 seconds, just five-hundredths of a second from a medal.
The Jamaican campaign also produced a setback in the men’s 800m, where Kirk Dawkins finished fourth in the first semifinal in 1:50.54 minutes and failed to advance.
Wright rules the discus
A day earlier, Jamaica had celebrated a more emphatic success when Wright dominated the men’s discus competition.
The 35-year-old Jamaican produced a winning throw of 63.39 meters, comfortably clearing the field to claim gold. Cuba’s Mario Diaz took silver with 62.72m, while Jamaica secured a second medal through Racquil Broderick, whose 62.07m earned him bronze.
Bahamas’ Tarajh Hudson finished fifth at 54.76m, while Trinidad and Tobago’s Christopher Crawford placed ninth with 52.39m.
Moore takes silver in hurdles thriller
Trinidad and Tobago also reached the podium in a dramatic men’s 110m hurdles final through Rinaldo Moore, who claimed silver after a race decided by margins too small to separate much of the field.
France’s Ulric Portier won in 13.46 seconds, with Moore crossing in 13.56 seconds. Colombia’s John Paredes finished third in 13.57 seconds, while France’s Jeanice Laviolette was fourth in the same time.
Jamaica’s Sharvis Simmonds narrowly missed the medals, placing fifth in 13.61 seconds.
The women’s 400m produced another Caribbean podium finish as St. Vincent and the Grenadines’ Shafiqua Maloney captured bronze in 51.77 seconds.
Dominican Republic star Maileidy Paulino won the event in 48.94 seconds, while Cuba’s Roxana Gomez was second in 49.99 seconds.
Hurdles and long jump bring more near-misses
The women’s 100m hurdles also delivered a tight finish that left Bahamas’ Denisha Cartwright just outside the medals.
Cartwright ran 12.99 seconds to finish fourth, matching the time of Puerto Rico’s Paola Vazquez, who secured third place. Barbados’ Adeyah Brewster was fifth in 13.24 seconds, while compatriot Maya Collins finished seventh in 13.69 seconds.
Barbados’ Akela Jones also narrowly missed a podium finish in the women’s long jump, placing sixth with a 6.01m effort.
Jamaica’s gymnastics challenge continues
Away from the track, Jamaica’s Clayton Bell finished sixth in the men’s artistic gymnastics vault final with a score of 12.950.
Guatemala’s Jorge Lopez captured gold with 13.875, while Keynher Vera and Puerto Rico’s Jensuel Rodrigues tied at 13.825, with the placements separating the silver and bronze positions.
For Jamaica, the latest CAC Games action has therefore produced a mixture of triumph and frustration: Wright’s dominant discus victory and the men’s relay silver provided the medal highlights, while the women’s relay and several individual finalists were left to contemplate margins measured in hundredths of a second.