GEORGE TOWN, Cayman Islands, CMC – Trinidadian Jehue Gordon delivered as promised, smashing his own 400 metres hurdles record to convincingly win the event at the 39th CARIFTA Games here last night.
The gifted 18-year-old put the race to bed as the contest after 200 metres before racing unchallenged to the finish to clock a new championship record of 49.76 seconds at the Truman Bodden Sports Complex.
In the process, Gordon reset the mark he established last year in St Lucia when he clocked 50.01.
“Going out [in the early part of the race], I realised I didn’t have anyone to run with,” Gordon said afterward. “My technique wasn’t that good but I stayed with it.”
The heavy favourite after his 48.26 at the World Championships in Berlin last August, Gordon got away from the blocks quickly and was first to the opening hurdle.
From thereon, he powered down the backstretch defying a strong wind to be clearly ahead of his Under-20 field with 200 metres left.
Though tiring in the final 100 metres, he had enough left to reach the finish with a strong stride, with Jamaican Dwayne Extol finishing a distant second in 51.50 seconds and Bahamian Nejmi Brunside third in 52.23 seconds.
Bahamian Stephen Newbold joined Gordon in record-breaking vein as he captured the Under-17 version of the event in a time of 52.75 seconds, eclipsing his countryman Burnside’s two-year-old record of 52.81.
Newbold was forced to produce a strong performance down the stretch as he held off defending champion Barbadian Tramaine Maloney in 53.87, with Maloney’s teammate Dario Scantlebury claiming bronze in 56.26.
“It feels very good,” an elated Newbold said. “I backed myself, maintained my form and brought it home.”
There were no new marks in the girls 400 metres hurdles as Ristananna Tracey led a Jamaica one-two, clocking 58.28 seconds to beat countryman Daniele Dowie (59.09) with Trinidad and Tobago’s Gabriela Cumberbatch third in 59.84.
In the Under-17 version over 300 metres, Trinidadian Kernesha Spann clocked 42.16 seconds to hold off the Jamaican duo of Shenel Fancis (42.51) and Kimone Green (42.62) in order to claim gold.
On the field, Jamaican Chanice Porter captured the girls’ Under-17 long jump with a leap of 5.64 metres while teammate Ashani Wright took the boys’ Under-17 high jump with a measurement of 1.98 metres.
Grenadian sensation Kirani James and Barbadian Shakeim Greaves set up a mouth-watering clash in today’s Under-20 200 metres final when they easily won their semi-final heats.
