Colombia’s Natalia Linares, Cayman Islands’ Davonte Howell, Brazil’s Matheus Lima and Puerto Rico’s Jose Figueroa highlighted the athletics competition of the 2nd Pan American Junior (U23) Games in Asuncion, Paraguay, where records were set in 30 of the 47 events contested over five days (18-22 August).
A triple medallist four years ago when the inaugural Games were held in her native Colombia, Linares landed at 6.92m on her last attempt in the long jump, just a single centimetre shy of Caterine Ibarguen’s national record. She also anchored her team to bronze in the 4x100m relay.
In the sprints, Howell broke the 10-second barrier legally for the first time with 9.98 in the final, a national record for the Cayman Islands. With 10.10 in the semifinals, he led six other men who ran faster than the previous Games record. Colombia’s Ronald Longa (10.07) and Jaleel Croal (10.16) of the British Virgin Islands joined him on the podium.
In the 200m, 20-year-old Figueroa ran past all opposition down the home straight from lane seven to give Puerto Rico its first track gold of the Games with a national record and World Championships standard of 20.16. Croal (20.39) and Longa (20.51) traded positions from the 100m.
Lima stormed a 48.23 in the 400m hurdles semifinals on the opening day, pushing the next five men to times faster than the previous Games record. His closest rival, Jamaica’s Tyreece Hyman, beat him in the medal race two days later with a personal best of 48.90. In the women’s event, Mexico’s Antonia Sanchez ran a lifetime best and record of 55.91 for gold.
In the women’s 100m, Liranyi Alonso ran a Games record of 11.08, just three days after her silver medal performance at the NACAC Championships in The Bahamas.
Fourth at the 2021 Games as a 15-year-old, Alonso could not match her speed in the final and had to settle for silver (11.40) behind Trinidad and Tobago’s Shaniqua Bascome (11.19). Two days later, the now 19-year-old set a personal best and meeting record of 22.69 to win the 200m and give the Dominican Republic its only athletics gold in Asuncion.
With the second edition held in the peak of the athletics season, performances were of a higher calibre compared to Cali 2021, held in late November and early December.
Mexico’s 2022 world U20 champion Karla Serrano led the way in the first event of the athletics programme with a 1:31:40 victory in the women’s 20,000m race walk.
Her compatriot Dafne Juarez became the only individual double winner in Asuncion with her victories at 1500m and 5000m, the latter with a record of 15:51.27.
Canada’s world U20 silver medallist Dianna Proctor also bagged two golds. She first lowered the Games 400m record to 51.97 and then pipped the Jamaican anchor to clinch 4x400m victory by one hundredth of a second with 3:31.73, another meeting record.
Lars Flaming broke the 80-metre barrier for the first time in the javelin (81.56m) and delighted the home crowd with Paraguay’s only athletics gold of the Games. Ricardo Montes, the youngest individual winner at the age of 18 and Venezuela’s only champion, produced the 30th and final record of the Games with 5.45m in the pole vault.
Two 2024 World U20 Championships finalists, sprint hurdlers Jocelyn Echazabal and Yander Herrera, led the Cuban performance with victories and Games records, both set in the semifinals. Echazabal ran 12.95 in the 100m hurdles and Herrera 13.54 in the 110m hurdles.
A total of 25 countries featured on the medal tally, 15 of them with at least one gold, led by Cuba (8 gold, 3 silver and 2 bronze), followed by Canada (7-7-1) and Colombia (7-4-3).
Javier Clavelo Robinson for World Athletics
Results