Cuba overwhelmed other Caribbean entrants in athletics at the 2011 Pan Am Games, earning a total of 33 medals,including 18 golds, while setting four meet records.

Jon Rankin achieved the best result for the Cayman
Islands competitors with a fourth-place performance in the men’s 1500 metre run,as his time of 3:54.79 was just three-fourths of a second shy of the bronze-earning clocking by Eduar Villanueva of Venezuela.Leandro Oliviera of Brazil was adjudged the winner in 3:53.44,just one one-hunderedth of a second ahead of Byron Piedra of Ecuador.

No information as yet has been forthcoming concerning Jon’s effort in the 800-metre run.However,it can be assumed by the results on the games website that he was fouled in his semifinal, successfully appealed,and was  awarded a place in the final, where he ran 1:52.72 to finish seventh.

Carl Morgan managed to qualify for the finals of the men’s long jump, where he finished tenth ,with a best mark of 7.38 metres. Brother Carlos was unable to achieve a finals-qualifying measurement.

In other representation .Junior Hines finished fifth in his heat in a time of 52.36 in the 400 metre hurdles. Michael Letterlough placed twelfth in the hammer throw with a best mark of 57.72 metres.

Cuba’s domination was such that Brazil placed second in the medal count with 23,followed by Colombia with 17 and the United States with 16. Other Caribbean countries garnering medals were the Dominican Republic (6),Jamaica (5),the Bahamas (2), St.Kitts and Nevis (2), Trinidad and Tobago (2), Barbados (1) and Dominica (1).

Cuban athletes also established four new Games records due to winning performances by Yarelys Barrios in the women’s discus throw and Guillermo Martinez in the javelin throw,pole vaulter Lazaro Borges and Dayron Robles in the 110-metre hurdles.Kim Collins of St.Kitts/Nevis set a new mark in the men’s 100 metre dash.