TT captured three medals on the opening day of the North American, Central American and Caribbean (NACAC) Under-18, Under-20 and Under-23 Championships at National Stadium in San Jose, Costa Rica on Friday.
Dillon Leacock (53.45s) ran uncontested to pocket gold in the men’s Under-20 400m hurdles, Leah Bertrand earned silver in the Under-20 women’s 100m final and Olympic-bound sprinter Kion Benjamin bagged bronze in the men’s Under-23 100m.
Bertrand clocked 11.693s to pip third placed Antiguan Joella Lloyd (11.697s) for runner-up spot. Winning gold was Bahamian Camille Rutherford in 11.36s. Costa Rican runners May Ivanniz Blackwood (12.13s) and Melanie Yuritza Vargas (12.62s) were fourth and fifth respectively.
In the men’s 100m final, Tokyo-bound Benjamin clocked 10.40 seconds in his bronze medal display while countryman Tyrell Edwards finished fifth in 10.56 seconds. Winning the event was Bajan Kuron Griffith (10.33s) while Jamaican Odaine McPherson (10.39s) claimed silver.
In the opening heats, Benjamin topped heat one with a 10.53 seconds clocking while Edwards (10.68s) was fifth in heat two but still advanced as sixth fastest qualifier overall. Benjamin’s time was fifth fastest overall in the heats.
Tyriq Horsford is the only athlete from the ten-member national contingent competing on Saturday. He vies for honours in the men’s Under-23 javelin (800g) event. Horsford goes up against Bahamian Keyshawn Straychan, Costa Rica’s Ivan Jose Sibaja and Panamanian Armando Caballero.
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