TORONTO, Sporting Alert – Jamaica’s O’Dayne Richards heaved a new lifetime best and Pan Am Games record mark of 21.69m to win the men’s Shot Put in the evening session on Tuesday.
The Commonwealth Games champion was also setting a new national record as he erased the previous Pan Am Games standard of 21.30m, which was set by Canada’s Dylan Armstrong four years ago in Mexico.
Richards produced his winning effort early in the competition – after going big on his second attempt of the day.
His mark saw him moving ahead of USA’s Christain Cantwell (21.64m) and into third on the IAAF top list for the season. American world-leader Joe Kovacs (22.56m) and Germany’s David Storl (22.20m), are the only two performers ahead of the 27-year-old in this year’s rankings.
Richards, who will be one of the men to watch at the IAAF World Championships in Beijing, China, next month, increased his prior career best mark of 21.61m, which he achieved almost a year in Glasgow.
Timothy Nedow of Canada took the silver medal with a season’s best mark of 20.53m, while and Argentina’s German Lauro held on for the bronze, as American Darrell Hill – one of the strong favourites for a medal – failed to get it together after fouling on five of his six attempts and had to settle for fourth with 20.10m.
Also winning gold medals in the evening session were Colombia’s Caterine Ibarguen, American Queen Harrison, Venezuelan Rosa Rodriguez and Canadians Matt Hughes and Mohammed Ahmed.
Harrison blasted her way to 12.52 seconds in winning the women’s 100m hurdles in a new Pan Am Games record – improving the former mark of 12.65 secs – set by Jamaica’s Delloreen Ennis-London in 2007.
Further behind was her teammate Tenaya Jones in 12.84, with Canada’s Nikkita Holder running 12.85 for third.
Also on the track, Hughes easily won the Men’s 3000m Steeplechase in 8:32.18 ahead of compatriot Alexandre Genest (8:33.83), while Ahmed sprinted away from his rivals in the final 100m to collect gold in the men’s 10,000m in 28:49.96.
In the field, reigning world champion Ibarguen was unmatched after leaping a wind-aided mark of 15.08 metres to win the women’s Triple Jump competition and Rodriguez took the women’s hammer crown with 71.61m.
