In the only final involving a Bahamian athlete on the opening day of the athletics competition at the CIBC Pan Am/Parapan Am Athletics Stadium in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Andros native Tamara Myers got her first taste of action at the Pan Am Games level, and ended up with a 10th place finish overall in the women's triple jump. Myers had a best jump of 13.57 meters (m) - 44' 6-1/4" - which would have been a personal best performance for her, but it was slightly wind-aided. Her second best jump was legal, a mark of 13.22m (43' 4-1/2"), but it was off her season and personal best leap of 13.41m (44').
Colombia got two medals in the event, as World Champion won the gold with a leap of 15.08m (49' 5-3/4"), and her teammate Yosiry Urrutia captured the bronze with a season's best leap of 14.38m (47' 2-1/4"). Brazilian Keila Costa sandwiched the two for the silver medal, with a best leap of 14.50m (47' 7").
Co-national record holders in the women's 100m hurdles, Adanaca Brown and Devynne Charlton, didn't have their best performances of the season yesterday, and as a result, were left out of last night's final of that event. Brown was eighth in her semi-final heat, and 12th overall in 13.18 seconds. Charlton finished fifth in her heat, and was 13th overall, in 13.22 seconds. Charlton ran a new national record time of 13 seconds flat at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Eugene, Oregon, in June, and Brown tied that national mark two weeks later at the Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations (BAAA)/Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) National Open Track and Field Championships in New Providence. They were significantly off those season and personal best performances yesterday though.
In the men's 100m, Shavez Hart showed that he is back to form after a subpar run through the NCAA Championships, clocking 10.13 seconds to make it through to the semi-finals. Two-time National Champion Hart was third in his heat, and qualified for the semis with the eighth fastest time. Hart ran a modest 10.24 seconds in the semi-finals of the event at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships, and failed to make it through to the final. On Tuesday in Toronto, he was significantly better, although the race was slightly wind-aided.
The semi-finals of the men's 100m at the 17th Pan Am Games will be ran this evening, starting at 6:50 p.m. Hart will run out of lane seven in the second semi-final heat, set for 6:57 p.m. The final is set for later tonight, 8:50 p.m. The other Bahamian in the men's 100m, Jonathan Farquharson, failed to make it out of the opening round heats. Farquharson finished eighth in his heat, and was 20th overall, in 10.48 seconds. Bahamian Raymond Higgs was entered for the men's long jump, but was a no-show for the competition.
Once again, a number of Bahamians will be in action today. Lanece Clarke will run out of lane one in the first of two semi-final heats of the women's 400m at 10:30 a.m. The final is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. tomorrow. Just the top three runners in each semi-final heat and the next two fastest times will move on to the final. In the men's version of that race, Ramon Miller will run out of lane three in heat one at 11:00 a.m. today, and LaToy Williams will run out of lane one in heat two at 11:08 a.m. Like the women, the top three runners in each semi-final heat and the next two fastest times will move on to the final, which will be held at 7:20 p.m. tomorrow.
In the men's 400m hurdles, national record holder Jeffery Gibson will run out lane four in the third of three semi-final heats at 12:36 p.m. today. The top two runners in each semi-final heat and the next two fastest times will move on to the final, which is scheduled for 5:40 p.m. tomorrow. Also today, as mentioned earlier, Hart is scheduled to run in the semi-finals of the men's 100m. The final is set for later tonight.
A number of Bahamians will be in action tomorrow as the opening rounds and semi-finals of the men and women's 200m are scheduled to be held, the qualifying rounds of the women's long jump will take place, and the final of the men's 400m hurdles, and men and women's 400m will run.
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