Ana Guevara of Mexico wins the 400m at the Pan Am Games (© Getty Images)
Santo Domingo, Dominican RepublicMexico’s Ana Guevara and Adriana Fernández, Jamaica’s Brigitte Foster, and Dominican Republic’s Juana Arrendel provided the highest notes on the penultimate day of athletics in the Pan American Games in Santo Domingo’s Juan Pablo Duarte Olympic stadium on Friday 8 August.
Running in lane six in front of some 10,000 spectators, Guevara, the world’s number one 400 metres runner, was the penultimate woman to leave the blocks (0.369 reaction time), but by the end of the first half she was in control of the race.
Unchallenged, she kept a fast pace and crossed the finish line in 50.36 seconds, with the largest margin ever in the Pan Am Games between the top two women in the 400 metres final.
Grenada’s Hazel Ann Regis (51.56) and Guyana’s 2002 Commonwealth Games champion Aliann Pompey (52.06) were distant second and third, respectively.
The 26-year old from Sonora ran the lap of victory, carrying a Mexican and Dominican flag. She waved and distributed t-shirts to the crowd. She immediately spoke to Mexican President Vicente Fox on the phone: “I promised you the gold and I will bring it with me,” she told him.
After the final, the 2002 IAAF World Cup winner showed a sign on her front: “This win is for you, Ana Teresa, with love, wherever you are", in reference to a 12-year old Mexican girl from Hermosillo, who has been following her athletic career, but who is suffering from leukemia.
She could not break Ana Fidelia Quirot’s Games record of 49.61, set in 1991, but equalled with the Cuban as the only two women who have successfully defended their titles at this distance. Quirot won in 1987 and 1991.
“I am very happy to have won one more gold for Mexico and that was my main goal. The mark (49.61) was something extra and I will have time to break it,” Guevara commented.
According to her, the high humid conditions and the head win in the first straight prevented her from smashing the record, but “I never felt pressure about it. The record was something personal, but our main objective here was to win,” she added.
After achieving her 22nd consecutive win, she plans to race in Zurich on August 15, and I will try to post a good time before the IAAF World Championships in Paris, starting a week later.
“I am confident and my time in Zurich – where she ran her Central American and Caribbean record and still personal best of 49.16 last year - will depend on how I adapt myself in Europe and the rivals I will race,” Guevara explained.
Her compatriot Adriana Fernandez became the first athlete to win two gold medals in the Juan Pablo Duarte stadium, as she challenged the demanding weather to dominate to 10,000m in 33:16.05, two days after winning her third consecutive 5000m crown with a Games record of 15:30.65.
”I am satisfied with my results and I will now focus on preparing for the World Champs in Paris”, said the best Latin American marathoner of all times.
In the most awaited final of the day, High Jumper Juana Arrendel gave the Dominican Republic their second gold in the Pan American Games, two days after Felix Sanchez’ win in the 400 Hurdles.
Leaving a previous doping offence behind, the tall Arrendel cleared 1.94, the same height of Mexican Romary Rifka, but she obtained the title as she had less failed attempts than her main rival during the competition.
Arrendel, won the Central American Games crown with a national record of 1.97 last December in El Salvador.
Brigitte Foster, the world’s fastest woman this season in the 100-metres Hurdles (12.45), confirmed herself as Jamaica’s best bet for gold, after breaking the Games record in the semi-final with 12.66, 0.10 quicker than Cuba’s Aliuska Lopez mark, set in 1999.
The other qualifiers were Canada’s Angela Whyte (12.78) and Perdita Felicien (12.84), USA’s Michelle Perry (12.80), Cuba’s Yumara Neyra (12.82) and Anay Tejeda (12.99), Jamaica’s Lacena Golding-Clarke (12.76) and Haiti’s Nadine Faustin (12.83).
The day had a special meaning for the Caribbean, as Hazel Ann Regis and Pole Vaulter Dominic Johnson won the first medals for Grenada and Saint Lucia in the history of the Games. Regis’ compatriot Alleyne Francique added another medal in the one-lap race.
Cuba obtained two more titles, thanks to Roxana Diaz and Mabel Gay. Diaz, 22, improved the nine-year old national record to 22.69 to surprisingly win the 200 metres, ahead of Cayman Islands’ 2001 Edmonton World Championships finalist Cydonie Mothersill (22.86), and USA’s Alison Felix (22.93).
Mabel Gay, the 2002 World Junior Champion, bettered her personal best to 14.42 to easily win the Triple Jump, ahead of USA champion Yuliana Perez (13.99).
However, Olympic High Hurdles champion Anier Garcia, suffering from an injury in his right leg for the last three weeks, failed to qualify for the 110m Hurdles final, as he finished fifth in his semi-final with 13.83, behind USA’s Joshua Walker (13.54) Brazil’s Redelen dos Santos (13.54), Haiti’s Dominique de Gramont (13.78) and Colombia’s Paulo Villar (13.81).
“I felt the pain again in the start and it got worse when passing the hurdles. I wanted to compete for my people and try to defend my title, but… I just hope to recover as soon as possible for the World Champs”, stated Garcia.
The fastest qualifiers for the final were USA’s Larry Wade (13.35) and Cuba’s 2000 World Junior champion Yuniel Hernández (13.39).
German Sanchez kept Mexico’s winning tradition in Race Walking, as he dominated the 50 kilometres race in 4:05.02 hours. Introduced in 1951, the Mexicans have only lost the gold in this event twice (1967 and 1971).
Other winners of the day were USA’s Kenny Brokenburr in the 200m (20.43), Mitchell Potter in the 400 meters (45.11), Toby Stevenson in the Pole Vault (5.45) and Tiffany Lott-Hogan in the Heptathlon (6064), as well as Canada’s Jason Tunks in the Discus throw (63.70).
The men’s 4x100 semifinals were won by the USA (38.59) and Trinidad & Tobago (38.97). Jamaica (39.02), Brazil (39.10), Cuba (39.50), Bahamas (39.91) and the Netherland Antilles (39.95) also qualified for the final.
Athletics will end this Saturday with 12 finals: the men’s 1500m, 110m Hurdles, High Jump, Triple Jump, the women’s 100m Hurdles and Pole Vault, as well as both Marathon races and the four Relays. Cuba’s most decorated triple jumper Yoelbi Quesada wants to become the first athlete to win four consecutive titles in Pan American Games.
Javier Clavelo Robinson for the IAAF
Here are the medallists on the penultimate day of Athletics in the Pan American Games:
Men:
200m
1. Kenny Brokenburr (USA) 20.42
2. Christopher Williams (JAM) 20.54
3. Andre Da Silva (BRA) 20.68
400m
1. Mitchell Potter (USA) 45.11
2. Yerman López (CUB) 45.13
3. Alleyne Francique (GRN) 45.51
Pole Vault
1. Toby Stevenson (USA) 5.45
2. Russ Buller II (USA) 5.40
3. Dominic Johnson (LCA) 5.40
Discus Throw
1. Jason Tunks (CAN) 63.70
2. Frank Casañas (CUB) 62.61
3. Loy Martínez (CUB) 61.36
50km walk:
1. Germán Sánchez (MEX) 4:05:18
2. Mario dos Santo (BRA) 4:07:37
3. Luis García (GUA) 4:12:16
Women:
200m
1. Roxana Díaz (CUB) 22.69
2. Cydonie Mothersiell (CAY) 22.86
3. Allison Félix (USA) 22.93
400m
1. Ana Guevara (MEX) 50.36
2. Hazel Ann Regis (GRN) 51.56
3. Aliann Pompey (GUY) 52.06
10,000m
1. Adriana Fernández (MEX) 33:16.05
2. Yudelkis Martínez (CUB) 33:55.12
3. Bertha Sánchez (COL) 33:56.17
High Jump
1. Juana Rosario Arrendel (DOM) 1.94
2. María Rifka (MEX) 1.94
3. Yarianni Arguelles (CUB)1.89
Triple Jump
1. Mabel Gay (CUB) 14.42
2. Yuliana Pérez (USA) 13.99
3. Yusmay Bicet (CUB) 13.90
Heptathlon
1. Tiffany Loft (USA) 6064
2. Nicole Haynes (CAN) 5969
3. Magalys García (CUB) 5864
