T&T won eight medals on the final day of the 22nd Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games Track and Field Championships in Havana, Cuba, on Sunday. Led by silver medal performances from Rondel Sorillo, Pilar Mc Shine and Rhonda Watkins T&T tied with Jamaica for second place on the 20-team medal standings with both countries amassing a total of 14 medals each (two gold, five silver and seven bronze).
Host Cuba topped the medal count with 53 medals which comprised 27 gold, 19 silver and seven bronze medals. University of Kentucky sprinter Sorillo, won his medal after posting a time of 20.72 seconds in the final of the men's 200 metres behind Jamaica's Nickel Ashmeade, who grabbed first place in the event with a time of 20.54. seconds. Ashmeade's countryman Ramone McKenzie finished third in 20.74 seconds. In the women's 200m gold medal run, T&T Reyare Thomas (23.61) secured bronze behind champion Virgil Hodge of St Kitts, who posted 23.41 seconds, with Cuba's Roxana Diaz (23.56) third. National champion over the distance Semoy Hackett did not start the race despite qualifying for the final as one of the fastest losers with a time of 23.75.
National women's 800m champion McShine clocked a new personal best of two minutes, 02.79 seconds en route to taking the silver medal in her pet event. McShine erased her previous best time of 2:02.89 which she recorded while competing for her school Florida State University on the collegiate circuit at a meet in May. First place in the race went to Cuba's Zulia Calatayud after she completed the event in 2:01.63 with her team-mate Pena Disomely (2:03.87) third. Melissa De Leon T&T other representative in the race taking up fourth place in 2:04.45.
Gavyn Nero the national men's 800m champion also established a new personal performance on his way to securing the silver medal in the event. Returning a time of 1:45.51. Meanwhile, Watkins the 2007 NCAA indoor and outdoor champion in the long jump registered a best leap of 6.47 metres to secure second place in the event. Finishing ahead of Watkins was Shara Proctor of Anguilla with a jump of 6.61m with third place going to St Kitts and Nevis's Tankia Liburd (6.42). T&T other competitor in the event Charisse Bacchus was fifth with a mark of 6.16m. Shot puter Cleopatra Borel-Brown had a best throw of 17.98m to take bronze in her event. Jehue Gordon also put up a bronze medal-winning performance in the men's 400 metre hurdles with a 49.45 run, while team-mate Emmanuel Mayers was seventh and last in 51.63. Javier Culson of Puerto Rico won that event in 48.51 while the Dominican Republic's Felix Sanchez was second in 48.95.
