Kwesi Mugisa, Staff Reporter

XALAPA, Mexico:

Jamaica's athletes continued to struggle to make an impression at the Central American and Caribbean Games now under way in Veracruz, Mexico, after failing to add to the one medal earned so far, after 10 days of competition.

With track and field action getting under way yesterday, and Jamaica's elite athlete's not taking part in the competition, the nation's hopes of hitting the podium again on day 10 fell to Natalie Grant and Vanessa Levy in the women's hammer throw event. The duo, however, found the going tough and finished in fifth and eighth places with throwing distances of 54.23m and 51.56m, respectively. The event went to Cuba's Yipsi Moreno, who set a new Games record of 71.35 metres, with her Cuban teammate Lisbet Yurisleydi (69.62m) in second place. Third place went to Columbia's Eli Moreno (67.77m).

At the Omega Sports Complex, Jamaica's badminton team failed to hold on to a 1-0 lead, eventually going down 3-2 to Guatemala in the Group B play. Siblings Gareth Henry and Geordine Henry got Jamaica off to a solid start when they beat the pair of Lesvin Marroquin and Beatriz Ramos in straight set (21-19, 21-14) in mixed doubles action. Nikte Sotomayor, however, brought the Guatemalans back on level terms with a 21-16, 21-13 win over Katherine Wynter, and the Central Americans took the lead when Kevin Cordon beat Garron Palmer (21-10), (21-8).

Good fight

The pair of Mikaylia Haldane and Wynter put up a good fight to get the team back on level terms, after beating Ramos and Sotomayor, but the pair of Rodolfo Ramirez and Jonathan Solis ended any resistance when they easily beat Palmer and Henry in men's doubles action.

At the Palmas Raquet Court there was more success for the Guatemalans against Jamaica as many-time Davis Cup representative Dominic Pagon went down in straight sets to Wilfred Gonzales (6-4, 6-3). The first-round encounter lasted a little over an hour. Davian Burrell also failed to advance after winning only one game against another Guatemalan Christopher Diaz (6-0, 6-1) who had that encounter wrapped up in under an hour on court four.

There was at least some joy for Jamaica at the Racquet Centre where Walter Lewis dispatched El Salvadorian Ernesto Abrego to book a spot in the competitions semi-finals against Mexican Arturo Salazar.

The Jamaica men's hockey team surrendered a lead to the Dominican Republic to eventually lose 4-2 via a shoot-out at the High Performance Centre in a play-off for fifth and sixth positions. Kemar Mitchell and Geovanni Gordon got the goals for the Jamaicans in the 2-2 regular time draw.