Ana Guevara wins the 400 metres (© Getty Images Allsport)
San Salvador, El SalvadorIAAF Golden League Jackpot winners Mexico's Ana Guevara and the Dominican Republic's Felix Sanchez will be the stars of the athletics programme at the 19th Central American and Caribbean Games in El Salvador, 1 - 7 December 2002.
Guevara, one of the final ten contenders for the title 'Athlete of the Year' at the IAF World Athletics Gala a fortnight ago, has extended her already long season so she can represent her country in the CAC regional event in San Salvador. In fact, the 25-year-old from the Mexican state of Sonora has already been in action, carrying the national flag leading Mexico’s delegation at the opening ceremony of this multi-sport Games on 23 November.
The Mexican 400m star has predicted slow times in San Salvador's Flor Blanca Stadium, and it’s certainly true to say that she should face no significant opposition on her way to her first Games title.
In the last Central American and Caribbean Games in Maracaibo, Venezuela in 1998, the Mexican star grabbed the silver medal in both the 400m and 800m, with 51.32 and 2:01.12.
Undefeated in her 11 races this year, the 2001 Edmonton World Championship 400m bronze medallist, moved to 11th place in the All-time list when clocking 49.16 seconds in Zurich. She later went on to win the IAAF Grand Prix Final in Paris, and the individual one lap and 4x400 relay gold medals at the IAAF World Cup in Madrid.
In San Salvador, Guevara will start in the 400m semi-finals on Sunday to qualify for the final on Monday. She is also expected to run the 4x400m relay (December 5-6).
By contrast to Guevara, Felix Sanchez, the Dominican Republic’s World 400m Hurdles champion who has just re-started training after a month-long holiday, will only run the 4x400m relay in San Salvador.
Born 25 years ago in New York, Sanchez started to represent his country in the 1999 Winnipeg Pan-American Games, but this week will mark his debut at the CAC regional tournament. Sanchez’s participation in San Salvador will be a great boost for the Dominican Republic, who will also be hoping that he will star in next year's Pan-Am Games when they are run on home soil in Santa Domingo.
Being scheduled so late in the season, the Games will miss the region's best athletes, who are resting after a long season or just starting their training focused on next year’s World indoor and outdoor Championships, which take place in Birmingham and Paris, respectively.
Cuba, which finished seventh (medal/points tally) at the 2001 Edmonton World Championships, have decided to skip this week's events in El Salvador, claiming that they hadn’t received security guarantees for its delegation. Therefore, the results from the athletics tournament are likely to be below-par.
Founded in 1926, CAC is the oldest area games in the world. They are hosted every four years and this will be their second time in El Salvador, following on from the third edition in 1935. Women athletics was introduced in 1938.
Many Olympic champions have highlighted the Games' history, including Jamaica's Herb McKenley, Arthur Wint and Deon Hemmings, Cuba's Alberto Juantorena, Maria Colon, Ivan Pedroso and Anier Garcia, as well as Mexico's Ernesto Canto, Daniel Bautista and Raul Gonzalez.
The first final will be the men's 20km Walk early on Sunday, while both Marathon races will close the competition on Saturday 7 December.
Javier Clavelo Robinson for the IAAF
Central American and Caribbean Games records are as follows:
Men
100m -10.10A Silvio Leonard CUB 1978
200m - 20.42 Leandro Peqalver CUB 1982
400m - 44.27A Alberto Juantorena CUB 1978
800m - 1:45.15 Alberto Juantorena CUB 1982
1500m - 3:41.84 Eduardo Castro MEX 1982
5000m 13:49.89A Arturo Barrios MEX 1990
10,000m - 28:58.11 Dionicio Cersn MEX 1993
Marathon - 2:14:23 Banjamin Paredes MEX 1993
3000m st - 8:38.43 Rubin Garcma MEX 1993
110mH -13.27 Anier Garcia CUB 1998
400mH - 48.87 Dinsdale Morgan JAM 1998
HJ - 2.37 Javier Sotomayor CUB 1998
PV - 5.40A Angel Garcia CUB 1990
LJ - 8.45 Ivan Pedroso CUB 1998
TJ - 17.16 Yoelbi Quesada CUB 1998
SP - 19.42 Yoger Medina VEN 1998
DT - 70.20 Luis Delms CUB 1982
HT - 74.25 Alberto Sanchez CUB 1998
JT - 80.92 Emeterio Gonzalez CUB 1998
Decathlon – 8118 Raul Duany CUB 1998
20 km W - 1:23:32 Daniel Garcma MEX 1998
50 km W - 3:55:21 Edel Oliva CUB 1993
4x100m - 38.74 Cuba 1986
4x400m 3:02.41 Cuba 1986
Women -
100m - 11.14 Chandra Sturrup BAH 1998
200m - 22.30 Beverly McDonald JAM 1998
400m - 50.56A Aurelia Penton CUB 1978
800m - 2:00.24 Letitia Vriesde SUR 1998
1500m - 4:18.45 Letitia Vriesde SUR 1993
3000m - 9:16.27 Isabel Juarez MEX 1993
5000m - 16:43.48 Nora Rocha MEX 1998
10,000m - 34:04.16 Adriana Fernandez MEX 1998
Marathon - 2:42:29 Emma Cabrera MEX 1993
100m H - 12.64 Dionne Rose JAM 1998
400m H - 54.30 Deon Hemmings JAM 1998
HJ - 1.96 Silvia Costa CUB 1986
PV - 3.70 Alejandra Meza MEX 1998
LJ - 6.61 Elomna Echevarrma CUB 1986
TJ -14.34 Yamile Aldama CUB 1998
SP - 19.36 Marma Elena Sarrma CUB 1982
DT - 63.76 Marma Betancourt CUB 1982
HT - 61.46 Aldenay Vasallo CUB 1998
JT - 66.67* Sonia Bisset CUB 1998
Heptathlon - 5903 Magalys Garcia CUB 1993
10,000m W - 46:30.16 Graciela Mendoza MEX 1998
4x100m - 44.37A Cuba 1978
4x400m - 3:26.27A Cuba 1990
*- old model, new model from 2002
Past Venues -
1926 Mexico City (MEX), 1930 Havana (CUB), 1935 San Salvador (ESA), 1938 Panama City (PAN), 1946 Barranquilla (COL), 1950 Guatemala City (GUA), 1954 Mexico City (MEX), 1959 Caracas (VEN), 1962 Kingston (JAM), 1966 San Juan (PUR), 1970 Panama City (PAN), 1974 Santo Domingo (DOM), 1978 Medellmn (COL), 1982 Havana (CUB), 1986 Santiago de los Caballeros (DOM), 1990 Mexico City (MEX), 1993 Ponce (PUR), 1998 Maracaibo (VEN).
