Abilene Wildcats’ Kyle Greaux stole the spotlight at the 2015 Southern Games when he captured gold in the men’s 200 metres and 400 metres events at the Manny Ramjohn Stadium in Marabella, yesterday.
In the half-lap event, Memphis Pioneers’ Emmanuel Callender was quickest out of the blocks and led the field entering the homestretch, but Greaux would change gears to surge past his rival and pull away to win in a time of 20.84 seconds. Callender held second in 21.15 while Kevin Haynes of Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force was third in 21.32.
Earlier on the programme, Greaux powered to victory in the 400 metres event from Haynes and Kern Alexis of Memphis Pioneers. He stopped the clock in 47.73 seconds with Haynes and Alexis returning times of 48.19 and 48.24, respectively.
Kamaria Durant of Simplex was also a double gold medallist when she copped the women’s sprint double. She opened with gold in the 100 metres in a time of 11.78 seconds, from her club mate Onika Murray, 12.09, and Point Fortin’s Mauricia Prieto, also in 12.09.
In the 200 metres event, Durant took command of the race at the top of the homestretch to win easing down in 23.66 seconds, despite getting a late challenge from Prieto, who returned in 23.89. Murray bagged bronze in a time of 24.44 seconds.
And UTT Fast Track’s Josh Hamilton took the blue riband event with a golden 10.64 run in the men’s 100 metres. Hamilton was pressed all the way be his club mate Le Sean Noel and Joel Dillon of Simplex but maintained enough top end speed to get home. Noel returned in 10.66 for silver while Dillon collected bronze in 10.70.
Trinidad and Tobago’s World 400-metre hurdles champion, Jehue Gordon and Clifton Sylvester of the Defence Force turned the men’s invitational 800 metres into a two-man affair when they treated patrons to a prolonged stretch duel. Sylvester took up the running at the bell with Gordon in close attendance before drawing level coming off the final bend.
However, the Defence Force athlete dug deep to surge back in front over the final 40 metres to stop the clock at one minute, 54:71 seconds. Gordon had to settle for silver in 1:54:83 with George Smith, also of Defence Force, third in 1:55:32.
In the women’s invitational 800 metres, Memphis Pioneers’ Alena Brooks made amends for her second place finish in the 400 metres when she repelled the challenge of her club mate Dawnell Collymore to win in a time of two minutes, 11:68 seconds.
Similar to the men’s version, the two pulled away from the field to fight it out among themselves as Collymore would throw down her challenge entering the top of the homestretch. However, Brooks had enough left in her tank and held on gamely for the win. Collymore returned in 2:12:11 and Guyana’s Andrea Foster, third in 2:14:76.
And in the Boy’s U20 800 metres, Ashton Gill of Cougars romped to victory in one minute, 58:14 seconds. Abilene Wildcats’ Jeremiah Hamilton was second in 1:59:93 with Petrotrin Palo Seco’s Kriston Yahkarhim third in 2:00:82.
Ramona Modeste won gold in the women’s 400 metres event when she home ahead of Brooks and Danielle David of Point Fortin. The Abilene Wildcats’ quarter-miler stopped the clock at 55.12 seconds with Brooks returning in 55.77 and David, 57.86.
Cuba’s Livan Reyes was a facile winner of the men’s open invitational 5,000 metres event. Reyes took up the running on the second lap and would lead a group of five; Kirk Brown of Jamaica, St Lucia’s Jason Sayers, Pamenos Ballantyne of St Vincent and Jules La Rode, which separated themselves from the rest of the field.
At the bell he held a 40-metre advantage on Brown but would lengthen his strides to come home well clear in a time of 15 minutes, 29:73 seconds. Brown held second in 15:40:22 from Ballantyne, who was third in 15:43:14.
In the men’s invitational 1,500 metres event, Smith of Defence Force defied a spirited challenge from Guyana’s Cleveland Forde to prevail in four minutes, 02:62 seconds.
Forde returned in 4:02:90 with Sylvester third in 4:03:54. And Collymore emerged victorious in the women’s version in four minutes, 41:55 seconds. Linda Mc Dowel of St Vincent was second in 4:44:15 and Jamaica’s Danielle James, third in 4:48:47.