Vaughn achieves World Jnrs. qualifying mark
By Michael DaSilva
Stabroek News
July 8, 2002
Despite failing to medal at the Central America and Caribbean Junior Track and Field Championships which ended last evening in Barbados, Atoms Athletic Club athlete Michelle Vaughn achieved the qualifying triple jump standard for World Junior Championships.
Reports from Barbados state that Vaughn hop, skipped and jumped 12.80 metres in placing fourth in the girls under-20 triple jump which was won by Mabel Gay Tamayo of Cuba in a record breaking performance.
Tamayo registered 13.93 metres to eclipse the 1994 record of 13.26 set by Suzette Lee of Jamaica.
The qualifying standard for the World Junior Championships slated for Jamaica later this month is 12.59 metres.
Another Cuban athlete, Arianna Martinez Iglesi placed second in the triple jump with 13.43m, while Catherine Ibarguen of Colombia was third with 13.01m.
Guyana’s Tai Payne from whom much was expected in the 800 metres event, could do no better than seventh, despite going into the final with the fastest qualifying time of one minute 53.28 seconds.
Jamaica’s Jermaine Myers clocked 1 minute 50.36 seconds in winning the event from Mexico’s Juan Luis Barrios who returned 1:52.36. Third place went to Shaun Smith also of Jamaica. He registered 1:52.77.
Analisa Austin who finished 8th in the under-17 girls 100m on the opening day (Friday), placed fifth in her 200m heat where she returned 26.26 seconds, but could do no better than 14th overall and so did not advance to the final.
Jamaica’s Aneisha McLaughlin registered the fastest time in the race. She clocked 24.07 seconds.
Guyana’s Kimberley Holder returned two minutes 35.12 seconds for the under-17 girls 800m but failed to qualify for the final which
was won by Puerto Rico’s Jennifer Velazquez in two minutes 11.83 seconds. Jamaican athletes occupied the second and third places through Arusha McKenzie (two minutes 12.06 seconds) and Cadien Beckford (two minutes 13.40 seconds) respectively.
Holder’s time gave her the 14th position in terms of time.
In the under-17 boys 800-metre, Guyana’s Randy Lee placed 9th in semi-final with a time of two minutes 03.24 seconds and so did not qualify for final which was won by Salvador Mateo Estarlin of the Dominican Republic in one minute 56.33 seconds. Second was James Baird of Antigua) in one minute 56.71,3 seconds and third Chadrick Nelson of Jamaica in one minute 57.90 seconds.
Another Guyanese, Derwin Eastman, registered two minutes 09.67 seconds to end 13th overall.
Jennifer Chichester, also of Guyana, finished 13th in the under-17 girls 1200-metre on the opening day. She returned three minutes 55.16 seconds.
Clevland Forde who captured Guyana’s only medal to date (Bronze) in the under-20 boys 10,000-metre on the opening day, was slated to contest the 5000-metre last evening.