Simpson cops gold at Pan-Am Games

By PAUL A REID Observer

Sherone Simpson created a massive upset to win the women’s 100m gold medal at the 19th Pan-American Games last night in Toronto, Canada, clocking a season’s best 10.95 seconds (0.9mm/s).

Drawn in lane eight, the Olympic game silver medallist stormed through the second half of the race to edge Ecuadorian Angela Tenorio, who ran a lifetime best 10.99 seconds, while pre-race favourite and leader for most of the race, American Barbara Pierre ended up third in 11.01 seconds.

Pierre was second four years ago in Mexico.

Simpson had qualified for the final of the women’s 100m as one of the fastest losers after she was fifth in a wind-aided 11.18 (4.0m/s), but Schillonie Calvert failed to advance from her semi-final after running 11.29 seconds (2.5m/s) for sixth in her heat.

Simpson won Jamaica’s second gold in track and field after O’Dayne Richards had won the men’s shot put in a new national record on Tuesday.

Meanwhile,Jamaica will be seeking to add more medals as track and field continues at the 19th Pan-American Games in Toronto, Canada today.

Jamaicans qualified for four more finals today, the men’s 400m hurdles, women’s 400m, men’s 800m and the men’s discus throw.

The first rounds of the men’s and women’s 200m will also be contested in the morning session today.

In taekwondo yesterday, Olympian Kenneth Edwards was beaten 7-0 by American Phillip Yun in the first round of the men’s 80kilo and over sparring competition.

Also yesterday at the track in York, Ontario, neither of the two Jamaican women high jumpers managed to medal or to get the automatic qualifying mark (1.94m) for the World Championships.

National senior champion Kimberly Williamson finished sixth with 1.88m, while Saniel Atkinson-Grier was ninth with 1.80m.

Williamson, who might have lost her chance at qualifying for the World Championships later this year, cleared 1.75m on her first try but took two attempts to get over 1.80m and 1.85m, and only cleared 1.88m on her third try before failing at 1.91m.

St Lucia’s Lavern Spencer equalled her season best with 1.94m to win the gold medal ahead of Antigua’s Priscilla Fredericks and Barbados’ Akela Jones, who both cleared personal best 1.91m to get the silver and bronze, respectively.

Aside from that it was a good morning session for the Jamaicans as all six athletes advanced to their respective finals today.

Anastacia Le-Roy and Chrissann Gordon both advanced to the medal round of the women’s 400m; Le-Roy finished fourth in her semi-final heat in 53.13 seconds, while Gordon was third in her semi-final in 52.47 seconds.

Both Ricardo Cunningham and Jowayne Hibbett ran the same time of one minute, 49.22 seconds in their respective men’s 800m semis to advance.

Hibbert was second in his race while Cunningham was third.

Leford Green ran 50.51 seconds to win his 400m hurdles semi-finals, beating Puerto Rico’s Javier Culson, while Roxroy Cato was second in his semi-finals in 49.85 seconds, both qualifying for the finals today.

Jason Livermore with 10.10 seconds (2.2m/s) also qualified for the men’s 100m final, but Sheldon Mitchell was sixth in his semi-finals in 10.35 seconds (1.5m/s).

Damar Forbes failed to show up for the men’s long jump finals.

Today, Olympic silver medallist Kerron Stewart and Simone Facey will seek to advance from the first round of what looks to be a competitive women’s 200m event that will also see for IAAF World Junior champions Anthonique Strachan and Sheniqua Ferguson, both of the Bahamas, Allison Peter of the British Virgin Island and Ecuador’s Angela Tenorio taking part.

Commonwealth Games champion Rasheed Dwyer and Jason Livermore will contest the men’s event that will include World Championships medallist Wallace Spearmon of the USA, and Canada’s newest sprint sensation Andre DeGrasse.

Fedric Dacres will contest the men’s discus throw were his season’s best 66.40m makes him the favourite, but he will be up against the defending champion Jorge Fernandez of Cuba and Brazil’s Ronald Juliao.

On Tuesday night Kimberly Laing just missed a medal after she finished fourth in the 100m hurdles final in 12.95 seconds (1.4m/s).

American Queen Harrison won in 12.52 seconds beating Delloreen Ennis-London’s Pan-Am Games record of 12.65 seconds set in 2007 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.