Greaux grabs NACAC 200m gold

KYLE Greaux claimed his first ever international gold medal yesterday in the men’s 200m final, beating a quality field at the North America Central America and Caribbean (NACAC) Championships in Toronto, Canada. Greaux, 30, stunned home favourite Aaron Brown of Canada to cross the finish line first in a NACAC record and spoil the evening for the Canadians.

Greaux’s 20.11 clocking bettered by one-hundredths of a second the previous championship record set by Jamaican Rasheed Dwyer in 2015. It also broke the stadium record which was held by Brown for two days after he impressed as the fastest qualifier in the heats.

His performance comes less than two weeks after he secured bronze at the CAC Games in Colombia with a mark of 20.26 seconds. He also set a new personal record at the CAC Games in the preliminary stage, clocking 19.97 seconds.

Greaux’s effort yesterday sees him qualify with the “A” standard for the 2019 IAAF World Championships in Qatar and 2019 Pan Am Games in Peru.

Brown, the on-form Commonwealth Games silver medallist who has been on fire on the Diamond League circuit, yesterday could not catch Greaux and crossed the line second in 20.20 seconds. Nigel Ellis of Jamaica took bronze in 20.57 seconds.

TT ended the day with two other medals – a silver for Cleopatra Borel in the women’s shot put and a bronze for the men’s 4x100m relay team with Greaux recovering enough to run the anchor leg.

Borel, who shone with a gold medal-winning performance at the CAC Games, threw the iron sphere 17.83m on her second attempt to reach the podium.

Maggie Ewen of the US, who placed third in the women’s discus on Saturday, won the shot put gold with a 18.22m toss on her third try.

TT’s third medal came in the men’s 4x100m event with twin Nathan and Johnathan Farinha, Jalen Purcell and Greaux stopping the clock at 28.965. The gold was captured by home team Canada who clocked 38.56 seconds.

Barbados, the recent gold medal-winning 4x100m relay team at the CAC Games, placed second in 38.69 seconds.

In other results, Ayanna Alexander placed sixth in the women’s triple jump with her 12.94m effort. Jamaica’s Shanieka Ricketts won gold with a 14.25m leap.

The women’s 200m final saw Semoy Hackett (23.27) and Reyare Thomas (23.73) place fifth and eighth respectively, behind race winner Shericka Jackson of Jamaica who finished in 22.64 seconds.

Sparkle McKnight represented TT in the women’s 400m hurdles and placed sixth in 56.33 seconds. American Shamier Little won the gold in 53.32 seconds.

In the men’s long jump, Marquis Dendy (8.29m) of the US won gold, while Jamaican duo Tajay Gayle (8.24m) and Ramone Bailey (8.09m) took silver and bronze, ahead of TT’s Andwuelle Wright, who finished fifth with a 7.93m effort.

In the men’s 400m hurdles, Jehue Gordon placed seventh in 50.12 seconds, trailing gold medal winner Kyron McMaster of the British Virgin Islands, who clocked 48.18 seconds for a new championship record. Annsert Whyte of Jamaica won silver in 48.91 seconds and Khallifah Rosser of the United States, third in 49.13 seconds.