BARCELONA, Spain, CMC – Reigning CARIFTA champion Jamaican Fedrick Dacres measured a personal-best mark to capture gold in the discus while Bahamian sprint queen Anthonique Strachan booked her spot in the 200 metres final at the World Junior Championships here Thursday night.
The 18-year-old Dacres threw 62.80 metres to edge Poland’s Wojciech Praczyk (62.75) and South Africa’s Gerhard de Beer who picked up bronze in 61.57.
“I feel really good. At the moment of throwing I didn’t have anything on my mind,” said Dacres, who also took gold at the World Youth Championships in Lille last year.
“I train in Calabar High School in Kingston. I hope that in the future Jamaicans will not only be first in sprint. I hope they change to more disciplines.”
Strachan, meanwhile, won her 200 metres semi-final in a time of 23.28 seconds, to advance to tonight’s final as one of the fastest qualifiers.
The double CARIFTA sprint champion is now poised to complete the double after winning the 100m on Wednesday night.
Jamaican Shericka Jackson, meanwhile, clocked 23.58 seconds to finish second in the first semi-final and clinch her spot in the final.
She followed home American Olivia Ekpone who clocked 23.49.
Only two Caribbean runners will be present in the men’s 200m final after Jamaican Julian Forte won semi-final heat one and Bahamian Teray Smith finished third.
Fort clocked 20.83 seconds while Smith stopped the clock at 21.06.
Anguilla’s Zharnel Hughes and Antigua’s Cejhae Greene did not start in that semi-final.
Trinidadian Jereem Richards missed out when he finished fourth in 21.14.
There was no success for Dacres’s fellow countryman Javon Francis who finished last in the men’s 400 metres final won by the Luguelín Santos in 44.85 seconds.
Trinidad and Tobago’s Machel Cedenio finished fifth.
Cuban Yordan O’Farrill won the sprint hurdles in a record 13.18 seconds.
