Sprinter Keliza Smith, on Thursday evening, put on a strong performance on the track in Asunción, Paraguay, to earn herself a bronze medal, Guyana’s 3rd at the ongoing Junior Pan American Games.
Keliza Smith raced her way to a bronze medal in the 200m final
Smith stopped the clock at 23.42s for the third-place finish. The Dominican Republic’s Liranyi Alonzo set a new championship record of 22.69s, while Colombia’s Marleth Ospino finished second in 23.14s.
Smith’s progression to the medal was preceded by another dominant performance on the track on Wednesday, as the Guyanese sprinter clocked 23.73s for first place in Heat 2 to secure an automatic place in Thursday evening’s final. In that race, she finished ahead of Colombia’s Marleth Ospino (23.76s), Canada’s Emily Martin (23.81s) and Jamaica’s Marissa Palmer (23.82s) in what was a photo finish to that race.
Meanwhile, also on Wednesday, Malachi Austin competed in the men’s 400 m final, clocking 46.67 s for seventh place. The gold was won by Jamaica’s Jasauna Dennis in 45.56 s. Jaden Marchan of Trinidad and Tobago grabbed silver in 45.80 s, while Brazil’s Vinicius Galeno completed the podium in 45.83s.
