Christopher Taylor finish 2nd; Big wins for Nugent, Young at NACAC Champs

Jamaica’s Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games bound Christopher Taylor won silver in the men’s 400m on Saturday’s (10 July) penultimate day of the NACAC U18, U20 and U23 Championships in Costa Rica.

Taylor, second in the senior men’s event at the Jamaica Olympic Trials, ran 46.58 seconds to finish behind Barbados’ Jonathan Jones, 46.20.

The former Calabar star was pleased with his performance. “It was really tough weather conditions today, but still happy to represent my country in the 400m finals at the NACAC U23 Championships.

“I am happy to have finished healthy and with a silver medal,” he wrote on social media.

Javier Brown, also of Jamaica, finished third in 47.54.

Charokee Young, who is also heading to the Tokyo Olympic Games, won the women’s U23 400m for Jamaica’s only victory over the distance. Young, who attends Texas A&M, ran 52.06 to beat St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Arkansas Shafiqua Maloney, 52.73.

Bahamians Javoyna Walcourt, 56.15 and Lacarthea Cooper, 56.53, were the top two finishers in the U18 400m final.

Rae-Anne Serville of Trinidad and Tobago ran 54.85 to win the U20 women 400m final. Delano Kennedy, 47.75, beat his Jamaican teammate Taj Hamm, 48.38 in the U18 boys’ final.

Jamaica’s Daszay Freeman won the women’s U23 100m hurdles in 13.80 ahead of Bahamians Chrisma Taylor, 13.88 and Sasha Wells, 13.94.
Ackera Nugent topped the women’s U20 two-athlete final in 13.64 ahead of Luisana Alonso of Costa Rica, 32.83.

In the U18 sprint hurdles, Jamaica finished 1-2 with Alexis James, 13.31 and Kerrica Hill, 13.68

Jamaica won the two sections of men’s sprint hurdles. Orlando Bennett won the U23 in 13.65 ahead of Cayman Islands’ Rasheem Brown, 14.06.
Andre Harris won the U18 final in 13.78 ahead of Otto Laing of Bahamas, 13.82.

Two Bahamian athletes, Antoine Andrews, 14.27 and Alton Roker, 15.26, took part in the U20 final.

Serena Cole, who was second in the U18 100m behind Tina Clayton, won the long jump final with 5.72 ahead of Valeria Fernandez of Guatemala, 5.63m.
Shantae Foreman of Jamaica took the U20 final with a 6.07m leap ahead of Maryangel Morales of Costa Rica, 5.00m.

Jamaica stand tall in the sprint relays at NACAC Champs

In the sprint relay finals, Jamaica with Serena Cole, Tina Clayton, Kerrica Hill and Alana Reid won the U18 final in 45.49 ahead of Bahamas, 47.27.

Oshane Blackwood, Orlando Wint, Alicke Cranston and Andre Harris also took Jamaica to the U18 boys’ victory in 40.60.

Antonio Watson, Christopher Taylor, Jevaughn Powell and Odaine Mcpherson carried Jamaica to the U23 victory in 42.07.