Latest update November 21st, 2024 1:00 AM
Abrams siblings, Archibald advance to finals at Pan Am Games
…100m finals set for tonight
By Rawle Toney
Kaieteur Sports – Guyana’s track and field athletes enjoyed a successful start in their pursuit to end the country’s 20-year drought of an athletics medal at the Pan Am Games.
Emmanuel Archibald in the 100m, and the sisters Jasmine in the 100m and Aaliyah Abrams in the 400m, are striving to change the country’s fortunes and have progressed to the finals in their respective events.
Aaliyah Abrams secured a spot in the finals of the women’s 400m after clinching third place in Heat One, clocking in at 51.82 seconds. She finished behind Chile’s Martina Weil (51.47s) and ahead of Ecuador’s Dayci Caicedo (52.32s).
Jasmine Abrams (first from right) after winning Heat two of the Women’s 100m at the Pan Am Games with the fastest time in the qualifying round.
As the current national record holder in the 400m (50.20s), Abrams holds a global ranking of 22 according to World Athletics.
Aliann Pompey, whose record Abrams surpassed this year, had settled for Bronze in the women’s 400m at the 2003 games in Santo Domingo.
In fact, Pompey and Marian Burnett’s bronze in the women’s 800m, were the only two medals for Guyana in the Dominican Republic, and it was also the last time the country saw the podium in track and field at the Pan Am Games.
Meanwhile, Aaliyah’s sister, Jasmine, Guyana’s National record holder women’s 100m (11.07s), advanced to the finals of the women’s 100m in Chile after posting the fastest time in the qualifying round.
Jasmine clocked in at 11.60s, securing victory in Heat Two of the qualifiers, surpassing Mexico’s Cecilia Tamayo (11.66s) and Brazil’s Carolina De Jesus (11.64s).
Guyana’s Aaliyah Abrams (centre) in action in Heat One of the women’s 400m at the Pan Am Games.
Unfortunately, Keliza Smith faced a less favourable outcome in Heat One of the Women’s 100m, finishing seventh with a time of 11.78s.
Emanuel Archibald managed to qualify for the finals of the men’s 100m as the fastest non-automatic qualifier.
Archibald, the gold medallist at this year’s Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games 100m event, placed third in Heat One with a time of 10.35s, following Dominican Republic’s Alnardo Gonzalez (10.30s) and Felipe Bardi of Brazil (10.33s).
In tonight’s 100m finals, Archibald aims to become the second track and field athlete from Guyana to claim a Pan Games gold medal, following in the footsteps of James Wren-Gilkes’ performance in the men’s 200m in Mexico City back in 1975.
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