McClammer Cements Place as Top Performing Parapans Track Athlete

The American wheelchair racer has now won five gold medals in Guadalajara. 19 Nov 2011 By IPC

In a bumper final day of Athletics featuring 31 medal events USA’s Chelsea McClammer secured her place as the top performing track and field athlete at the 2011 Parapan American Games winning her fourth and fifth gold medals at the Telmex Athletics Stadium.

The 17 year old T53 athlete had already tasted victory in the 100m T53, 200m T53 and 5,000m T54 in Guadalajara, Mexico as well as bronze in the 800m T54, before she claimed the 1,500m and 400m titles on Friday (18 November).

In the 1,500m T54 she finished in 4:06.65 to put her top of the podium ahead of Mexico’s Ivonne Reyes (4:07.57). Then, less than two hours later, she dusted herself down to win the 400m T53 in 1:01.13 with Mexico’s Evelyn Enciso (1:06.94) in silver and Venezuela’s Yadira Soturno (1:10.47) in bronze.

McClammer’s five golds since Monday contributed to USA’s overall total of 25 gold medals for the week. It was not enough however to stop Brazil topping the rankings with a total of 60 medals including 27 golds, 23 silvers and 10 bronze.

The first event of the day was the men’s 5,000m T11 which was won in a Games record time by Brazil’s Odair Santos (16:02.26) who, earlier in the week, had claimed 1,500m gold. Silver went to Mexico’s Luis Zapien Rosas (16:38.68) while bronze went to Canada’s Jason Joseph Dunkerley (16:47.50).

A second successive Games record fell in the men’s 800m T12. Cuba’s Lazaro Thierb (1:57.40) took home gold ahead of Brazil’s Thierb Siqueira (1:59.86) in silver and Venezuela’s Roger Rodriguez (2:02.35) in bronze.

Venezuela claimed their first gold of the day in the men’s 800m T13 through Jose Luis Sanchez (1:59.32). Silver and bronze went to Cuba’s Miguel Angarita (1:58.81) and Mexico’s Juan Carlos Arcos Lira (1:59.21).

The women’s 100m T36 was a photo finish between two Argentineans. Nadia Schaus (15.36) broke the Americas record to take gold, just ahead of Yanina Andrea Martinez (15.39) in silver and Mexico’s Sandra Fonseca Solis. All three medallists finished under the previous Americas record.

USA’s first gold of the day came in the women’s 100m T37. Sabra Hawkes (16.21) took gold ahead of Colombia’s Neyday Aguilera (16.63).

In the very next race, USA claimed gold and silver in the men’s 100m T42. Gold went to Shaquille Vance (13.44) while Rudy Garcia-Tolson (14.13), a Beijing gold medallist in swimming, took silver.

World record holder in the women’s 200m T11, Brazil’s Terezinha Guilhermina (24.96), was just 0.22 seconds outside her world record as she claimed her third gold of the Games in a new Parapan record time. Her teammate Jerusa Geber Santos (26.15) took silver and Mexico’s Casandra Guadalupe Cruz (27.63) the bronze.

Cuba claimed its second sprint gold of the day in the women’s 200m T12 thanks to Daineris Mijan (26.48). Brazilian Ana Tercia Soares (26.58) took silver, with Mexico’s Daniela Eugenia Velasco (27.34) taking bronze.

In the next race Cuba struck gold again in the men’s 200m T13. Luis Felip Gutierrez (22.06) set a Games record to stand top of the podium. Silver went to Brazil’s Andre Andrade (22.94) and bronze USA’s Markeith Price (23.38).

USA secured a sprint double in the T44 class when David Prince (22.70) took gold in the men’s 200m, following in the footsteps of his teammate Jarryd Wallace who won the 100m. It was a Games record for Prince who finished ahead of Brazil’s Alan Fonteles Cardoso Oliveira (22.82) and Canada’s Alister McQueen (24.24) who took silver and bronze respectively.

After earlier in the week winning the men’s 100m and 400m T37 titles, Venezuela’s Omar Monterola (23.30) made it a hat-trick of titles sealing 200m gold in an Americas record. He was well ahead of Brazil’s Lucas Ferrari (25.93) and Mexico’s Benjamin Ivan Cardozo Sanchez (26.35).

The men’s 200m T52 was too close to call, with a photo finish giving gold medallist Raymond Martin of USA and silver medalist Salvador Hernandez Monddragon of Mexico, the same time of 32.02, a Games record. Bronze went to Martin’s teammate Gianfranco Iannotta (33.41).

Another close finish in the men’s 200m T54 saw Venezuela’s Juan Valladares (25.98) take gold in a Games record ahead of USA’s Eric Hightower (25.98) in silver and Mexico’s Fernando Sanchez Nava (26.13) in bronze.

An Americas record was set in the men’s 1,500m T37 courtesy of Francisco Daniel Coelho Da Silva (4:51.47). He beat Canada’s Shayne Dobson (4:53.81) and Argentina’s Mariano Dominguez (5:00.45) into silver and bronze respectively.

The Telmex Athletics Stadium was jumping for joy after Mexico swept the medals in the men’s 1,500m T54. Aaron Gordian Martinez (3:21.64) took top spot from Saul Mendoza Hernandez (3:21.70) in second and Martin Velasco Soria (3:22.69) in third.

Lazaro Rashid (4:04.78) of Cuba won the men’s 1,500m T13. He finished ahead of Colombia’s Elkin Alonso Serna Moreno (4:08.44) and Juan Carlos Arcos Lira (4:11.13) of Mexico.

Arguably the biggest shock of the day came in the men’s 400m T11 when Brazilian Paralympic and world champion Lucas Prado did not medal. Two of his teammates did though with Daniel Silva (49.82) putting in a sensational run to break the world record and take gold, while Carlos Barto Silva (52.21) took bronze. Silver went to Cuba’s Arian Iznaga (52.21).

Cuba’s seventh and final gold medal of an excellent day for them came in the men’s 400m T13. Miguel Bartelemy Sablon (52.94) led home the field with Brazil’s Andre Andrade (52.94) claiming the silver and Mexico’s Juan Carlos Arcos Lira (52.95) taking the bronze.

The men’s 400m T46 was a thrilling race because all three medallists finished within 0.32 seconds of each other. Venezuela’s Samuel Colmenares (49.39) took gold, while Jamaica’s Shane Hudson (49.43) and Brazil’s Yohansson Nascimento (49.71) picked up silver and bronze respectively.

USA’s Tommy Chasanoff (1:01.83) broke the Games record in the men’s 400m T36 as he won gold ahead of Colombia’s Fabio Gutierrez Torres (1:05.35) and Mexico’s Rafael Olmedo Gongora (1:09.98).

The final track event of the 2011 Parapan American Games was the men’s 400m T53. Jesus Aguilar (51.58) set a new Games record ahead of Brazil’s Ariosvaldo Ferenandes Silva (51.81) and USA’s Zach Abbott (53.46).

The first field event of the day saw Cuba’s Luis Felipe Gutierrez (7.66m) improve his world record by 2cm in the men’s Long Jump F13 to take gold. His teammate Angel Jimenez Cabeza (7.04m) took silver with USA’s Markeith Price (6.18m) taking the bronze.

Mexico’s F58 thrower Jeny Velazco Reyes (28.37m) took gold in the women’s Javelin F54-58 in a Games record. Silver medallist Sylvia Grant (20.36m) of Jamaica broke the Americas F57 record, and Dora Elia Garcia (12.90) claimed bronze with a F54 Amercias record.

The men’s javelin F57/58 was won in a new Games record by F57 thrower Caludiney Batista dos Santos (37.22m). Silver and bronze went to F58 throwers Fernando des Rosario Gonzalez (42.13m) of Mexico and Colombia’s Fernando Mina Cortes (41.15m) respectively.

Another Americas record was broken in the men’s discus F35/36 when Brazil’s Paulo Souza (35.74m) took gold ahead of Mexico’s Norberto Manuel Zertuche Rodriguez (34.14m). Peru claimed its first medal of the Games after Pompillo Faconi Alvarez (33.47m) took bronze.

Cuba’s Yaumara Milan (39.26m) secured gold with an Americas record in the women’s discus F12. Her closest competitor was Argentina’s Mariela Almada (36.80) who took silver and bronze medallist Stephanie Timmer (36.80m) of USA.

Mexico picked up gold in the men’s Shot Put F52/53 through Mauro Maximo de Jesus (8.22m). Silver was won by USA’s Scott Severn (7.95m).

There was further joy for Mexico in the men’s javelin F42, with the host country taking all three podium places much to the delight of the crowd. Gold went to Edgar Israel Barajas Barajas (35.00m), silver Jorge Antonio Madrigal Badillo (30.29m) and bronze Luis Enrique Jurado Mendez (29.44m).

Colombia picked up its only gold of the day in the men’s discus F32/33/34 thanks to Maurico Valencia (31.95m). Silver and bronze went to USA’s Sam Craven (28.19m) and Cuba’s Erick Figueredo (27.97m).