The T&T trio of Jude Carrington, Justin Roberts and Olympic finalist Njisane Phillip just missed out on qualification to the medal ride when they ended in fifth spot in the men's Team Sprint event at the Cycling Track, Toronoto, Canada at the 28th Pan American Games, Toronto, Canada, yesterday.
Leading off the three-lap event for T&T was Codrington, who was clocked at 18.032 and he was followed by Roberts who had a fast 13.134 clocking for a combined time of 31.166.It was now up to the high profile, USA-based Phillip to try and get T&T into the top two of the event, but his time of 14.215 gave T&T a combined time of 45.381 seconds which was good enough for fifth best.
Host Canada (44.242) and Venezuela (44.715) had the top two teams and qualified for the gold medal ride which was contested last night, while Brazil (44.918) and Colombia (44.961), the third and fourth best teams in the qualifiers battled for the bronze.USA (46.145) and Argentina (48.861), two countries expected to be in medal contention were sixth and seventh respectively.
Local cyclists, Varun Maharaj also pedaled off his medal quest in the Men's Omnium and was in ninth spot after the Scratch Finals (15000 metres) and Individual Pursuit (4,000m) with 50 points.In the Scratch finals, Maharaj was ninth from a field of 11 for 24 points and followed with an eight place in the individual pursuit (4,000m) for 26 points.
Last night, the Elimination Race was scheduled to come off, while today, the 10K Time Trial (11.24am); Flying Lap (12.19pm) and Points Race (7.40pm) will conclude the competition.Today, Phillip who got bronze in the men's sprint in 2011 in Mexico will go after gold in the same event with Roberts while Roger Daniel looks to add to his bronze medal from 2011 in the Men's 50m Pistol, and Marlon Moses competes in the Men's 50m Rifle Prone.
Calypso Stickmenrally for draw
Australia-based forward Akim Toussaint and Solomon Eccles scored in the final ten minutes as T&T senior men's hockey team rebounded from its 11-0 loss at the hands of Argentina with a2-2 draw against reigning Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games champions Cuba in Pool A play at the Pan Am Fields.
At the end of the first 15 minute quarters, the scores were goalless, but Cuba which spanked T&T 5-1 in the CAC Games Final in Guadalajara, Mexico last November took a 1-0 into the half thanks to a 22nd minute item from Yoandy Blanco.Both teams then fought out a 0-0 third quarter, before Toussaint drew T&T level in the 51st minute, only for Blanco to restore his team's slim lead at 2-1, two minutes later.
However, T&T's determination would eventually pay off with a minute left as Eccles slammed home the equalizer to earn his team a share of the points, its first of the tournament ahead of its final round-robin match with USA on Saturday from 11am at the end of which the quarterfinals will take place.
Williams, Whitfield stay alive
At the Chevrolet Beach Volleyball Centre, T&T men's beach volleyball pair,Daneil Williams and Fabien Whitfield advanced to the knockout phase of the tournament when the defeated El Salvador's Carlos Escobar and David Vargas 21-15, 26-24 in 46 minutes their final Pool D match to end with a 1-2 record.
In their previous two matches, the T&T duo was beaten by Chilean brothers, Marcos and Esteban Grimalt 11-21, 20-22 and NORCECA Tour rivals, Puerto Ricans, Roberto Rodriguez and Erick Haddock, 12-21, 15-21.
The Grimalt's defeated Rodriguez and Haddock 21-19, 21-11 for top spot in the group and an automatic quarterfinal spot while as third placed finishers, T&T advanced to round-of-16 where they face Mexicans, Juan Virgen and Rodolfo Ontiveros today. Rodriguez and Haddock come up against Venezuelans, Jackson Henriquez and Jesus Villafane in another last-16 match.
However, local women's duo, Ayanna Dyette and Malika Davidson exited the main draw of the tournament after a 12-21, 9-21 loss to Cubans Linma Flores and Leila Martinez to end with a 0-3 round-robin record in Pool D.
First year playing partners, Dyette and Davidson went under to one of the all-time top NORCECA Tour pairs in Mexicans, Bibiana Candelas and Martha Revuelta, 23-25, 7-21, and Argentines Ana Gallay and Georgina Klug 11-21, 13-21.Today, in the playoff for 13th to 16th, Dyette and Davidson come up against Cayman Islands teenagers, Chante Smith-Johnson and Illeann Powery.
Carter skips100m butterfly
A fifth place finisher in the men's 100m freestyle A-Final at the Pan Am Aquatics Centre on Tuesday night in 49.10, the 19-year-old Carter of the University of Southern Californiafifth fastest in heat three of the 100m butterfly in 53.89 and failed to get to the A-final, while he opted out of the B-final as well to focus on the 50m freestyle today.
USA's Giles Smith won the heat in 52.13 followed by Peru's Mauricio Fiol (52.25), Canada's Santo Condorelli (52.67) and Guatemala Luis Martinez (52.90) while Colombian Esnaider Reales was sixth in 54.42.In the 50m freestyle, Carter will be joined by Olympic and two-time World Championship bronze medallist, George Bovell in the hunt for 50m freestyle glory.
Arrindell, Lewis stay in medal race frame
At the Royal Canadian Yacht Club, T&T's 18-year-old Kelly Arrindell finished 12th in her first event of the day, race eighth in the women's laser competition, but then had an impressive fourth place finish, her second top five of the event followed by an eighth placing to move to 61 points and remained seventh overall with two more races left today ahead of the medal event.
Among the men, Olympian Andrew Lewis also stayed in the hunt for the medal race after he had finishes of seventh, ninth and seventh through events eigh, nine and ten yesterday to also improve to 61 points, but joint sixth with Argentina's Julio Alsogaray with two events left today from 11.35 and 1.35pm respectively.
And at the Angus Glen Golf Club, T&T men golfers, Talin Rajendranath with a score of two over 74 and Sachin Kumar, with six over 78 were well off leader, Argentina's Alejandro Tosti, who shot seven under, 65 in their first 18 holes.Rajendranath started well and carded a one over on the front nine holes, whilehe birdied 12th and 13th and was three over for the last nine holes, however Kumar was seven over at the half-way mark but birdied 12th, 13th and 16th.
Among the women, local duo, Monifa Sealy tallied a miserable eighth over 80 for joint 21st, while Christina Ferreira was eight positions further back with a score of 12 over 80 after their first 18 holes.Sealy was seven over on the front nine while she birdied the 11th and 12th.
