Atkinson takes fourth place at PanAm Games
ALIA Atkinson just failed to win Jamaica’s first medal at the Pan-American Games in Toronto, Canada, last night after she finished fourth in the women’s 200m breaststroke final at the CIBC Pan Am/Parapan Am Aquatics Centre and Field House.
The short course world record holder clocked two minutes, 27.15 seconds after leading after the first lap of the 50m pool, as Canada’s Kierra Smith won the gold in a new Pan-Am record two minutes, 24.38 seconds, beating the two minutes, 25.41 seconds she set in the morning preliminaries.
Martha McCabe won the silver for Canada in two minutes, 24.51 seconds, while American Annie Lazor took the bronze in two minutes, 26.53 seconds.
In the morning’s preliminaries, Atkinson was third in her heat in two minutes, 28.86 seconds, and sixth fastest overall as she was led home to the wall by Smith and American Lazor.
Timothy Wynter was seventh in his heat of the 200m backstroke in two minutes, 07.17 seconds and failed to advance to any of the two finals.
Also today, Trudian Patrick will swim in the women’s 100m butterfly event.
Meanwhile, 21-year-old Ian Facey will create local golf history today when he becomes the first Jamaican to participate in the event at the Pan-Am Games.
He will take part in the first round of the men’s individual event, the first of four rounds at the Angus Glen Gold Club.
The event is a 72-hole individual stroke format and he will be paired with Trinidad and Tobago’s Sachin Kumar and Barbados’ James Johnson for the first two rounds before the field is cut down for the other two rounds Saturday and Sunday.
Thirty-two men playing in 11 groups will take part.
— Paul Reid