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Simone Facey
Track and field manager George Peryer expects Jamaica to add to their four-medal haul at the XVI Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico, today.
In expressing his satisfaction with the overall showing of the athletes so far Peryer said:
"These guys have worked very hard and have given their best. We now have potential medallists in Isa Phillips in the men's 400m hurdles, Lansford Spence in the 200m men and Simone Facey in the women's 200m and then we have the relays coming up.
"We expect to do very well in the men's 4x100m, the ladies I am not so sure. Then we have the 4x400m men and women," Peryer said yesterday.
Spence and Facey reached today's finals with top three times, while Phillips is the second fastest going into the 400 metres hurdles final.
Spence won the third of three 200m metres semi-finals in a personal best 20.33 seconds lowering the 20.41 he set at this year's National Championships.
The strong, far-striding Spence, a former national 400 metres champion, said he had a lot more to give in today's final.
"I am feeling pretty good. In this semi-final I ran the first 100 metres and then tried to save something for the final coming up tomorrow," Spence said.
Like many other Jamaican competitors he complained of breathing problems but said yesterday he was, "working on that and tomorrow will speak for itself."
Jason Livermore was eliminated after placing third in semi-final two in 20.76. The heat was won in 20.35 by Brazil's Bruno Debarros while Roland Palacios of Honduras took second in 20.70. The fastest qualifier going into today's men's 200 metres final is Cuba's Roberto Skyers who won semi-final one in 20.31. Sandro Viana of Brazil placed second in 20.39 and Ecuador's Alex Quinonez was third in 20.41.
While the men ran two rounds before the final the women have run just one. Facey placed second in semi-final one in 22.99 behind Brazil's Ana DaSilva who clocked 22.72, the fastest time of the round. Cuba's Nelkis Casabona won the second semi-final in 23.34. Jamaica's Anastasia LeRoy placed fifth in 23.68 and was eliminated.
Patricia Hall, running out of lane eight, ran a more conservative race than she did in the 400 metres heats, but still faded in the straight for a disappointing seventh in the final. Pre-race favourite, Yenifer Padilla of Colombia, won gold in 51.53 seconds. Silver went to Cuba's Daysiurami Bonne in 51.69 while the bronze medallist was Brazil's Geisa Coutinho, 51.87.
In two other finals yesterday Jamaica's representatives were out of the medals. High jumper Kimberley Williams had three misses at 1.81 metres, her best being 1.78 metres which she cleared at her second attempt for an eighth place finish. The gold medal went to Cuba's Lesyani Mayor with a best of 1.89m, the same height as silver medallist, Venezuela's Marielis Royas, and bronze medal winner, Mexico's Maria Rifka.
