Walters hurdles to TT’s 23rd CAC medal

RUEBIN Walters took TT’s medal count to 23 yesterday after copping silver in the men’s 110m hurdles at the Central America and Caribbean Games, in Barranquilla, Colombia.

It was TT’s third medal in athletics and followed Alena Brooks (women’s 800m) and Khalifa St Fort (women’s 100m), both of whom also won silver on Monday. Jamaican Jonielle Smith dominated the field to claim gold in a fast 11.04, ahead of St Fort (11.15) and Venezuela’s Andrea Purica Guevara. (11.32).

In the 110m hurdles final yesterday, Walters clocked 13.57 seconds for his first medal at a major international competition since becoming a senior athlete. It was slightly off his 13.31 season best, but good enough to see him edge Cuba’s Roger Iribarne Contretas, who took bronze in 13.58 seconds.

Barbados secured its first gold medal of the competition and fifth overall by way of Shane Brathwaite, who won the event in 13.38 seconds. It wasn’t unexpected considering Brathwaite entered the race with the fastest personal best in the line-up.

Aaron Lewis also lined up for TT in the hurdles final but did not finish.

Meanwhile, Kyle Greaux signalled his intentions early on after winning his heat in the men’s 200m, clocking 20.34 seconds. Jalen Purcell competed in the first heat and squeezed into the semifinal with a mark of 21.11 seconds.

TT featured in a number of events in both track and field late last night.

In women’s water polo action, TT suffered another loss against Mexico in the quarterfinal. Although the match was a one-sided affair, and TT lost 13-3, it was an improvement from their 22-5 defeat to the same team in the earlier preliminary round.

Mexico eased to victory yesterday after winning all their quarters, 2-0, 6-1, 1-0 and 4-2. Top scorer Shemiyah Ross, Jordan Van Reeken and Charissa Hackshaw scored one goal each for the TT team.

It followed a trying preliminary round for the TT players who lost all their matches by large margins, starting with a 22-3 defeat to Venezuela, then Mexico (22-5), Colombia (20-5), Puerto Rico (29-5) and Cuba (22-1).

TT will play one more match today against Colombia to determine the fifth/sixth placed teams.

Daniel Catariz Ragbir won his round-of-16 men’s recurve individual archery match against Eddy Hernandez of Dominican Republic, 6-2.

He then advanced to the quarter-final round, where he was eliminated by Diego Castro of Guatemala after losing 6-0.

Ragbir’s teammate, Johnathan Mosca also challenged the last-16 stage where he met Guadeloupe’s Dominique Roux-Serret and lost 6-4.

The archers opened their account on the day with the men’s compound team quarter-final. Mexico, the eventual champs, defeated the trio of Jonathon Thomas, Hasmath Ali and Peter Kong, 237-221.

In men’s singles badminton, Will Lee had a good start but was defeated 17-21, 21-14, 21-16 by Cesar Gonzalez of Dominican Republic at the round-of-16 stage.

After getting a bye into the round-of-16 on the women’s side, Avril Marcelle took on Diana Corleto of Guatemala and was defeated, 21-11, 21-8. Lee and Marcelle paired up last night against Jamaica’s Ricketts Samuel and Katherin Wynter in the mixed doubles round-of-16.

Today, TT’s rugby sevens team will play their three preliminary Pool B matches against Venezuela, Jamaica and Guatemala. The winner of the pool will meet the winner of the Pool A, and the runner-up and third-place finishers in both groups will meet to determine places from third to sixth.

In other events, Gabriella Wood will meet Melanie Bolanos of Mexico in the women’s 78kg judo quarter-final; TT’s women and men will face Colombia and Venzuela, respectively, in the women and men’s water polo fifth/sixth; the women’s beach volleyball team will play for 9th/10th against El Salvador; and TT’s 4x100m men’s relay team will challenge the semifinal in one of the key athletics events on the day.