Jamaica’s Rajindra Campbell is off to a dream start on debut, as he secured his spot in the men’s shot-put final on Saturday’s opening day of the World Athletic Championships in Budapest, Hungary.
Campbell, who earlier this year became the first Jamaican man to go beyond 22m when he launched the instrument to a national record of 22.22m, took his time to get going in Group A of qualifying, but eventually found his rhythm.
Though he missed the automatic qualifying mark of 21.40m, Campbell’s 20.83m on his third attempt, was good enough to make the final as it ranked him 10th across the two groups.
Prior to achieving the mark which placed him sixth in his group, the 27-year-old Campbell, opened with an underwhelming 19.83m and registered no mark on his second attempt.
Campbell rued a lack of warm up and the wet conditions for his slow start.
"I didn't get through the complete warm up, the rain poured so I didn't get to warm up around the back because there was lightning and all that, so I came out here and tried to force it. the ring was very slippery, so that caused a lot of downhill performance today, but as we progressed the ring got dryer and I could actually feel the grip and that is how the last one came together," the vibrant thrower shared.
While his national record ranked him fourth coming into the championships, Campbell remains grounded where his medal prospects are concerned.
"Honestly, I don't want to start getting into that right now because later on (the final is to come). So, the job is not done yet, for now I am holding it together, I want to get some food in my system, take a nap and then I will be back," he said.
"It is a level playing field...that's the thing about competition, anything can happen on the day. So, I am confident in myself, I believe when it is necessary, I can pull something together just like I did with this last throw. It's something I have been doing consistently all season, so anything is possible," Campbell added.
Brazil’s Darlan Romani headlines the finalist with a big season’s best of 22.37m. The big American pair of two-time World Champion Joe Kovacs (21.59m) and Olympic Champion Ryan Crouser (21.48m) are also in the mix for the final scheduled for later this evening at 1:35pm Jamaica time.
You can catch live action of the 2023 World Athletic Championships by downloading the Sportsmax App.
England defender Jess Carter is adamant even the prospect of playing Spain in Sunday’s World Cup final will not sway her steely nerves.
While many footballers will claim they take a business-as-usual approach to even the biggest games, the declaration feels especially genuine when articulated by the laidback 25-year-old, who has been instrumental in ensuring the Lionesses have conceded just three goals in their unbeaten run to the title decider.
The Lionesses have already assured themselves of a best-ever finish in a global showpiece by reaching this stage, and Carter is confident they can go one step further to secure England a first World Cup since 1966.
Asked if she would have any stage fright on Sunday, Carter replied: “Personally, I won’t have. It’s football.
“I’m not really a nervous person. I understand and know from the outside, it’s the World Cup final, your biggest moment. I play my best when I’m super calm. At the end of the day, it’s just a game of football.
“We have to perform as we did in the first group game. Maybe some people have nerves but I think that will be challenged into positive energy come the night.
“I’m super excited – I don’t think it has really sunk in yet.
“There’s been such a quick turnaround between the last game and the next that you almost don’t have time to notice what’s been going on. It’s head down, rest, recovery and get ready to go again.”
Each member of a team brings something different. Though Carter had not fully considered it, she acknowledged serenity could be seen as her signature strength.
She said: “I think I chat with everyone and that’s something that a lot of the girls say, that I am super chill. I’ve had a couple of people feed back to say that it’s a really nice, I guess, aura to be around a little bit.”
Carter’s journey to this point started later than many of her team-mates’.
Though she started playing casually when she was “four or five”, the now 25-year-old did not join an academy until she was 15, following a successful trial with Birmingham and – in her own words – was not a “consistent presence” in England’s youth set-up.
The Warwick native received her first senior call-up in 2017 and made her debut that November against Kazakhstan in a 2017 World Cup qualifier, but was not called back until nearly four years later, when then-new England boss Sarina Wiegman took a chance and named Carter in her first squad in September 2021.
Carter has been vital this campaign, starting every game except England’s second – a 1-0 victory over Denmark – and rapidly adjusted when Wiegman switched systems from a 4-3-3 to a 3-5-2 after that match with Carter, captain Millie Bright and veteran Alex Greenwood forming the back three.
She said: “When I didn’t play against Denmark, I wasn’t not bothered, but it was just like, ‘I’ve just played in a World Cup, I had more minutes than I thought I was ever going to get coming into this tournament’. I didn’t come into the tournament expecting to play at all.
“I was so honoured to be part of the team. Obviously, of course, you always want to play every minute and when I spoke to Sarina and (heard) her reasons and our tactics, she’s going to make the best decisions that she thinks are appropriate to go and win a game.”
Carter, who can slot into both defence and midfield, does wonder how her career might have looked different had she instead been afforded the opportunity to nail down a single position, admitting: “That’s the question I ask myself every single day.
“It’s definitely something that’s a massive positive, but at the same time, sometimes I do wish that if I could just play this one position, absolutely smash it. Then I wonder what level I could get myself to if I could just focus on that point.”
Make no mistake, Carter is competitive and is as determined to win the World Cup as the rest of her team-mates, but the unfailingly calm and collected character comes out again when asked if she has stopped to think about how lifting the trophy could change her life.
She replied: “No. I’m just going to go home. I’m going to go home to my apartment, really and I don’t know, just chill.”
The Women’s World Cup has offered thrills, shocks and brilliant individual moments during the biggest competition in its 32-year history.
The tournament, which began on July 20, has seen 32 nations compete in Australia and New Zealand, with many writing their names into women’s football folklore.
Only two teams remain as either England or Spain will lift the World Cup for the first time in Sydney on Sunday.
Here, the PA news agency looks at the pictures which have captured the essence of the World Cup.
The final of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup between Spain and England is looming and the month-long tournament has not been short of standout players from different countries.
Here, the PA news agency’s Reuben Rosso-Powell looks at five star players who have shone the brightest during the tournament.
Linda Caicedo, Colombia
The 18-year-old had a breakout tournament and her two goals and an assist played an important role in Colombia advancing into the quarter-finals. Her stunning strike against Germany will no doubt be a contender for goal of the tournament.
Amanda Ilestedt
Centre-back Ilestedt has been an unlikely top scorer for her nation this summer having netted an impressive four goals from Sweden’s dominant set-pieces which helped her side reach the semi-finals.
Lauren Hemp, England
Hemp has scored important goals at crucial times for Sarina Wiegman’s England, including an equaliser in the Lionesses’ quarter-final victory over Colombia and putting them ahead against Australia in the semi-final. The Manchester City forward will look to build on her three goals in Sunday’s final.
Hinata Miyazawa, Japan
Miyazawa leads the Golden Boot race with five goals and was at the forefront of Japan’s free-flowing attacking football which dominated the early stages before they fell to Sweden in the quarter-finals.
Lauren James, England
James shone in the early stages of the tournament and gained plaudits for her memorable display against China. The Chelsea winger picked up three goals and three assists altogether before seeing red in England’s last-16 victory over Nigeria – but will be back in contention for the final against Spain after serving a two-match ban.
England take on Spain in the World Cup final on Sunday.
Here, the PA news agency looks at the key tournament statistics with one game remaining.
Goals
The 63 matches prior to the final have seen 163 goals scored, an average of 2.59 per game.
That is significantly lower than last summer’s European Championship, won by the Lionesses on home soil, when there was an average of just over three goals per game – 95 in 31.
While that was higher than the last men’s Euros – averaging 2.78 goals per game (142 in 51) – this summer has seen fewer goals than at the most recent men’s World Cups. The 2022 event in Qatar saw 172 goals in 64 games (2.69 per game), three more than in 2018 (169, 2.64 per game).
Spain lead the way with 17, with Japan managing an impressive 15 before being knocked out in the quarter-finals. Sweden scored 14 and England have 13 with the Netherlands, France and Australia the other teams in double figures.
Japan’s Hinata Miyazawa leads the Golden Boot standings on five, one ahead of Sweden defender Amanda Ilestedt. The remaining threats in the final are England’s Lauren James, Lauren Hemp and Alessia Russo and Spain trio Alba Redondo, Jenni Hermoso and Aitana Bonmati, all on three each.
Attendances
There have been record attendances for a women’s game in both host nations.
Australia have played in front of capacity crowds of 75,784 at Stadium Australia in Sydney for their opener against the Republic of Ireland, against Denmark in the last 16 and for their semi-final against England. The Lionesses’ quarter-final against Colombia also matched that record and the final will surely follow suit.
In New Zealand, Auckland’s Eden Park hosted 43,217 fans for Spain and Sweden’s semi-final and their respective previous knockout matches against Switzerland and Japan. The 42,137 at the same venue for the opening game of the tournament, New Zealand’s win over Norway, was the country’s record for a home international involving either the men’s or women’s teams.
Over 1.9 million fans have come through the turnstiles for an average attendance of 30,198 across the 63 matches so far.
Landmarks
The group stage witnessed the 1,000th goal at a Women’s World Cup as tournament debutants Zambia left their mark via Barbra Banda’s penalty against Costa Rica.
England completed a record run of scoring in 16 consecutive World Cup games with their 6-1 win over China, adding to all seven of their games at the 2019 tournament and six in 2015.
It was immediately ended by Nigeria in the last 16, but Sarina Wiegman’s side prevailed on penalties before going on to the final.
Casey Phair became the youngest player at a Women’s World Cup, as a substitute for South Korea against Colombia aged just 16 years and 26 days.
Penalties
There were penalties awarded in each of the first seven games, before Denmark and China became the first teams to get through a game without one in Group D.
The pace slowed significantly after that frenetic start, with 19 spot-kicks in the next 56 games for a total of 26 to the end of the third-place play-off.
Twenty of those have been scored, a 77 per cent success rate. Australia’s Steph Catley, China’s Wang Shuang and France’s Kadidiatou Diani each scored two penalties while Fridolina Rolfo, against Australia, became the third different Sweden player to net from the spot.
The ninth edition of the Women’s World Cup is almost over with only the final left to play.
A new winner will be crowned when England and Spain do battle in Sydney on Sunday.
Here, the PA news agency takes a look at what we learned from this tournament.
USA dominance over
USA have been the leading force in women’s football for the past few decades, winning the previous two World Cups and claiming three gold medals at the Olympics, but they suffered a shock defeat to Sweden in the last 16 in Melbourne.
A number of other nations made early exits, including Olympic champions Canada going out in the group stage along with Euros runners-up Germany, but it was USA’s penalty shoot-out loss which caused the most astonishment.
With Megan Rapinoe retiring and other stalwarts Alex Morgan, Kelley O’Hara and Alyssa Naeher unlikely to play at another World Cup, it finally feels safe to say USA’s glittering era is over despite the excitement around Sophia Smith.
Year of the underdog!
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Along with USA leaving the tournament early on, a number of emerging nations made their mark in Australia and New Zealand with South Africa, Nigeria, Morocco and Jamacia all making the knock-out stages.
Morocco qualified through Group H at the expense of Germany, who had thumped the African outfit 6-0 at the start of the World Cup. The Moroccan players were crowded around a phone watching the final seconds of Germany’s draw with South Korea before erupting in celebration.
Their journey only lasted until the last-16 stage and it was the same for South Africa and Nigeria but never before had three African countries all made the knock-out phase. Meanwhile, Jamaica were able to send Brazil packing in the group stage. It helped to highlight the growing depth in the women’s international game.
England’s golden generation
England were close to exiting this World Cup against Nigeria after Lauren James’ red card, but Mary Earps and heroic defending was followed by shoot-out success to send them through to the quarter-finals.
The European Championship winners would have always hoped to go deep in this tournament, but a tricky draw on paper and injuries to Beth Mead, Fran Kirby and Leah Williamson alongside the retirement of several key players last summer could easily have resulted in a poor showing.
In serial winner Sarina Wiegman and a group of players with incredible resolve and belief, England have managed to break new ground to reach a first World Cup final and given so many of this squad are in their twenties, it feels whatever happens on Sunday the Lionesses are ready to be the country to beat over the coming years.
Glass ceiling smashed!
Records have tumbled during this tournament co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand. The bigger than usual format of 32 teams has resulted in more games and while plenty of drama has followed, the quality of football on show has helped to ensure ticket sales and TV viewing figures continue to go through the roof.
A whopping attendance of 75,784 has been recorded three times at Sydney’s Stadium Australia and according to FIFA, the average crowd across the 10 venues has been 28,900. A big increase from the previous edition in France or any other World Cup, but the world has also tuned in.
Despite matches usually being played outside of prime-time slots, Fox still had 2.52 million viewers watch USA’s last-16 defeat on penalties to Sweden, which kicked off at 5am in the Eastern time zone of the United States. BBC One had 7.3 million viewers watch England’s semi-final win over Australia and millions also turned on the TVs in Brazil, Colombia and China for matches containing their respective countries.
Room for improvement
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There is still plenty of work to achieve in the women’s game though, with the build-up to this World Cup dogged by controversy and several countries playing amid the backdrop of internal tension, which should not be the case when players get the chance to perform on the biggest of stages.
FIFA faced criticism for its ‘Unite’ armbands, which were similar to the OneLove armband banned, but did not promote LGBTQ+ communities. The governing body also found itself in a storm for almost allowing Saudi Arabia to sponsor the tournament and president Gianni Infantino’s peripheral role at this World Cup compared to the men’s edition in Qatar.
Meanwhile, Spain’s presence in the final will conjure mixed emotions after several of their own players threatened to quit international football if head coach Jorge Vilda did not leave his position, citing the impact his regime had on their “emotional state” but he remained. Hati and Zambia’s participation in this World Cup occurred amidst sexual misconduct allegations against staff to highlight the hurdles still facing elite women footballers.
Jamaica missed out on the cut for the final of the Mixed 4x400 metres relay, as they could only manage fifth in heat two of the event on Saturday's opening day of the ongoing World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary.
The Jamaican quartet of Demish Gaye, Natoya Goule-Toppin, Malik James-King and Stacey-Ann Williams, running in that order, struggled from the off and was at the back of the pack for the first two legs.
In fact, it was on the third leg that James King tried to force the initiative and gradually made progress, but faded in the latter stages, leaving Williams with much to do on anchor.
Despite facing an uphill task, Williams showed grit and determination to bring Jamaicans from eighth into fifth and ninth across the two heats in a season’s best 3:14.05.
They finished behind the Femke Bol led Dutch team, who won in 3:12.12, followed by France (3:12.25) and Czech Republic (3:12.52), with fourth-placed Germany taking one of the non-automatic qualifying spots.
United States with a World lead 3:10.41, Great Britain, with a national record 3:11.19, Belgium (3:11.81) and Ireland (3:13.90), are the other finalists.
You can catch live action of the 2023 World Athletic Championships by downloading the Sportsmax App.
Big Evs has been supplemented for the Coolmore Nunthorpe Stakes at York on Friday – where Andrea Atzeni will ride.
Mick Appleby’s speedy two-year-old won the Windsor Castle Stakes at Royal Ascot by three lengths and then followed up at Goodwood in the Molecomb.
He was ridden in both those victories by Jason Hart but he understandably maintains his partnership with John Quinn’s Highfield Princess.
As a result Atzeni, who will take up a licence in Hong Kong soon, has stepped in to fill the breach.
“He’s in good order. He did a good piece of work this morning and he’ll probably have one more piece of work on Wednesday. I’m delighted with him,” said Appleby.
“It’s a long time since a two-year-old has won the Nunthorpe Kingsgate Native, 2007). So, yes, it’s a big ask for him, but hopefully he’s going there with a very good chance at the weights. Jason doesn’t ride as he is on Highfield Princess. Andrea Atzeni rides.”
Sweden struck in either half to retain their World Cup best of the rest status with victory over co-hosts Australia in the third-place play-off.
A Fridolina Rolfo penalty and fine Kosovare Asllani strike secured a 2-0 win for Sweden, who never looked in danger of losing to the home favourites in Brisbane.
Peter Gerhardsson’s side responded magnificently to their last-minute semi-final exit at the hands of Spain, outclassing Australia to win the third-place play-off for the fourth time in their history.
Sweden started quickly and set out their stall early on as Arsenal forward Stina Blackstenius got in on goal within the opening two minutes, her low shot turned away by Mackenzie Arnold.
Just as the hosts looked to be getting a foothold in the game, Sweden would take the lead as a penalty was awarded following a lengthy VAR review of Clare Hunt’s trip of Blackstenius’ trailing leg.
Rolfo, who scored the winner when the two nations met in the 2020 Olympics semi-finals, made no mistake from the spot with Arnold beaten despite diving the right way.
Sweden came close to doubling their lead in first-half stoppage time but a fine low save from Arnold kept out a Filippa Angeldahl strike that flashed through a crowded penalty area.
Having beaten England to finish third four years ago in France, Sweden all-but secured another bronze medal as they widened the margin just after the hour.
A pacey counter-attack saw Blackstenius shake off the attentions of the Australia defence before squaring for Asllani to hit one of the goals of the tournament, beating Arnold with a strike from the edge of the box.
Any hopes that Australia could launch an unlikely comeback suffered a blow when captain Sam Kerr hobbled off for treatment on her foot.
The Chelsea striker suffered a calf injury on the eve of the finals, dampening her impact as she was not fit enough to start a game until the semi-final loss to England.
She returned to the pitch but, by that stage, Sweden were in control of the tie and left the home fans cheering a valiant effort from Australia, who had to settle for fourth place.
England captain Millie Bright vowed the Lionesses are prepared to play the ‘game of their lives’ when they face Spain in their first World Cup final.
England could be crowned world champions for the first time since the men’s team triumphed in 1966, but on the eve of the monumental encounter the skipper’s focus was fully in the present.
And, while no one needs to explain the magnitude of the moment to the 29-year-old defender, she urged her team-mates to approach the most important match in their history no differently from any other.
Bright said: “I think for us we live in the moment, and yes it’s a World Cup final, but for us our mentality is it’s another game.
“I think our preparations don’t change no matter the stage in the tournament and to me that’s the key part of preparation.
“I want our players to prepare in any way they need to, like they normally do, and we’ve got a game plan that we have to go out and execute, but I think everyone knows how big this is.
“I think it’s been players’ dreams for years.
“We know how passionate our nation is back home and how much they want us to win. But for us, there is a process. We have a game plan to execute. We need to play the game of our lives.”
England boss Sarina Wiegman appointed Bright captain after Euro 2022-winning skipper Leah Williamson was ruled out with an anterior cruciate ligament injury ahead of the tournament.
Williamson will be in the stands on Sunday when the Lionesses walk out at the 75,000-plus seat Stadium Australia, led by Chelsea’s Bright, who insisted she would be thinking more about the squad than the symbol on her sleeve.
She said: “It’s massive, but it’s massive for the team. I think it’s always ‘we before me’ for me.
“I’ve always said, no matter whether I’ve got the armband or not, it’s a huge privilege and honour and I think it will be the biggest moment in our careers.”
England boss Sarina Wiegman has already become the first manager to lead two sides to the World Cup final after accomplishing the same feat with the Netherlands four years ago.
The enormously popular Dutchwoman also has two European championship trophies with those countries, but so far football’s most coveted title eludes her.
She said: “Playing a final is really special. I know that. I never take anything for granted.
“Playing in another is really special, but we’re just preparing for the game. Yes, it is a final, but we don’t do anything different than we do normally.
“When you go so far in the tournament people get more and more excited and that’s what you see.”
Tomorrow Wiegman faces the dilemma of whether to start forward Lauren James, who scored three times and picked up the same number of assists before she was sent off in England’s last-16 clash with Nigeria for stepping on the back of defender Michele Alozie and hit with a two-game suspension.
Replacement Ella Toone scored in England’s 3-1 semi-final victory against Australia, but serial winner Wiegman, who feels the available-again James has been sufficiently punished, could still be tempted to make a swap for the prodigious Chelsea talent.
She said: “Of course she really regretted that moment straight away. She apologised, she was punished for that and we all know this should not happen in football.
“She started training again and we supported her, because sometimes when you’re not that experienced at this level some fatigue comes in the game and you have just a split second where you lose your emotions.
“That’s a mistake, that’s a hard learning lesson, but now she’s ready to play in the game.”
Spain head coach Jorge Vilda batted away questions about his country’s absent stars on the eve of their World Cup final clash with England.
Vilda has guided Spain to their first final amid a backdrop of controversy and rows over the treatment of the team.
The showpiece game in Sydney takes place on Sunday morning, less than a year after 15 players staged a mutiny.
The arguments, which broke out in September last year, threatened to derail Spain’s hopes before an uneasy peace was brokered ahead of the World Cup.
Dubbed ‘Las 15’, the players who walked away were Patri Guijarro, Aitana Bonmati, Mapi Leon, Mariona Caldentey, Sandra Panos, Claudia Pina, Lola Gallardo, Ainhoa Moraza, Nerea Eizagirre, Amaiur Sarriegi, Lucia Garcia, Ona Batlle, Leila Ouahabi, Laia Aleixandri and Andrea Pereira.
If an accommodation has been reached, it appears to be a delicate one. Only three members of the 15 – Bonmati, Caldentey and Batlle – were included in Vilda’s squad for the finals.
Despite the unrest and uncertainty, Spain have made it through to the final following a late win over Sweden in the last four.
Asked early on at his pre-match press conference about the relations between himself and some of his players, Vilda replied: “Next question please.”
Pushed on whether not having some key players in Australia made him “sad”, Vilda seemingly ignored the line of questioning.
“What we want to do tomorrow is to be the best in the world and we’ll do this by winning the final,” he said.
Spain lost 2-1 to England after extra-time at the quarter-final of the Euros last summer as the Lionesses went on to lift the trophy on home soil, with Sarina Wiegman and her players looking to add further silverware on Sunday.
“It was a game that we know we were on top, but the result is what counts,” Vilda said of the loss at the Amex Stadium,
“Games against England really require our best. She (Wiegman) is a trainer that with her results has shown the fruits of her work, it’s not easy what she has achieved.
“You don’t achieve this without excellent preparation and star players. It will be a tactical match and it’s a final that we’re going to fight with everything.”
Sarina Wiegman says England feel buoyed by the levels of support for the team ahead of the World Cup final.
The Lionesses take on Spain on Sunday as they bid to win the trophy for the first time.
Boss Wiegman said: “It’s incredible what happened. We felt the support, we felt the support here, but also from the other side of the world in the UK. That’s something that we dream of.
“I feel privileged. I’m very happy in the place where I am now. There’s a lot of support, we have everything we need to perform at the highest level. It is a pleasure to work with these incredible people.”
Wiegman was concise when asked how the team had reintegrated Lauren James, who could start on Sunday after serving a two-match suspension following her red card against Nigeria in the last 16.
She said: “Of course she kept training and it’s really nice to have 23 players available for tomorrow.”
Spencer Strider pitched one-hit ball over seven innings and the major league-leading Atlanta Braves blanked the San Francisco Giants 3-0 for their third straight shutout on Friday.
Strider became the first 14-game winner in the majors, giving up his only hit to Wilmer Flores in the fourth inning.
He struck out 10 for the 16th double-digit strikeout performance of his career and 10th this season. Strider leads the majors with 227 strikeouts, 40 more than second-place Kevin Gausman of Toronto.
Joe Jimenez, A.J. Minter and Raisel Iglesias finished up to give Atlanta three consecutive shutouts for the first time since the final three games of 2015 against St. Louis.
The Braves have five shutouts in their last eight games.
Atlanta got all the offense it needed with two runs in the first off Alex Cobb. Ronald Acuna Jr. and Michael Harris II singled and Matt Olson had a run-scoring fielder’s choice before Marcell Ozuna singled home another run.
Harris went 4 for 5 with a double and a triple, while Eddie Rosario had two hits and one RBI.
San Francisco has lost seven of nine and was held to one run or fewer for the 28th time this season, third-most in the majors.
Marlins roll to end Dodgers’ streak
Jorge Soler hit two of the Marlins’ five home runs and Miami cruised to an 11-3 rout to end the Los Angeles Dodgers’ 11-game winning streak.
Jazz Chisholm Jr., Jake Burger and Jacob Stallings all went deep for the Marlins, who hit five home runs for the first time since July 3, 2012, at Milwaukee.
Sandy Alcantara allowed three runs – all on solo homers - and seven hits over six innings with one walk and six strikeouts to earn the win.
The Dodgers got home runs from Mookie Betts, Max Muncy and James Outman but dropped to 15-2 this month.
Mariners’ Rodriguez stays red hot in win
Julio Rodriguez had four more hits, including a home run, and Bryce Miller pitched 6 1/3 innings as the Seattle Mariners moved into a wild-card spot with a 2-0 victory over the Houston Astros.
Rodriguez tied a team record by hitting safely in nine straight at-bats before that run was snapped on a fielding error by Jeremy Pena in the seventh inning.
Rodriguez had five hits and five RBIs in Thursday’s win over Kansas City and is 13 for 16 with two home runs and eight RBIs in his last three games.
Miller gave up two hits and struck out two before Justin Topa and Andres Munoz locked up Seattle’s fourth straight win.
The Mariners took a one-half lead over Toronto in the race for the third and final AL wild-card spot.
Trinidad and Tobago’s impressive run at the Central American and Caribbean Confederation (CCCAN) Swimming Championships, continued on the penultimate day of action, with the in-form Liam Carrington leading the way in El Salvador on Thursday.
Carrington’s exploits in the boys’ 13-14 age group, saw Trinidad and Tobago in third position as the highest ranked Caribbean Island with seven gold, three silver and 11 bronze medals, followed by Haiti with three gold, two silver and one bronze, while Jamaica, who also had some decent performances in patches, comes next with three gold and six bronze. Dominican Republic (one gold, three silver and seven bronze), are next.
Mexico with 69 gold, 62 silver and 31 bronze, head the medal standings ahead of El Salvador (eight gold, six silver and nine bronze).
Carrington continued his impressive vein of form, as he topped the boys’ 13-14 400m individual medley (IM) in a new personal best 4:42.35, which saw him become the third fastest Caribbean athlete in the event.
It was Carrington’s third gold medal of the five-day championship at that point, as he won ahead of the Mexican pair of Hector Zamora Monzon (4:46.34) and Fernando Rodriguez Cuevas (4:48.95).
The Jamaican pair of Kia Alert and Noland Barrett also showed fine form, as both extended the Caribbean celebrations with back-to-back gold medal performances in the girls’ and boys’ 11-12 50m freestyle.
Alert, who entered the final with the fastest time of 28.05s, justified favouritism, as she outclassed rivals to win in 27.79s, not too far off the record of 27.46s held by Jillian Crooks of Cayman Islands since 2018. Mexico’s Carolina Romero Ojeda (28.01s) was second, with Trinidad and Tobago’s Breanna Belmar (29.09s) third.
In the boys’ event, Barrett, who earlier clocked a personal best of 2:07.21 for bronze in the 200m freestyle – Jamaica’s first medal in the age-group event in 20 years –proved more formidable in the shorter format. He stopped the clock in 26.29s, ahead of Mexico’s Bernardo Gomez Gonzalez (26.44s) and Felipe Alvarez (26.58s).
Jamaica had another bronze in the girls’ 13-14 event courtesy of Rianna Scott, who touched in 27.71s, behind the Mexican pair of Valeria Tarin (27.22s) and Sylvanna Luna Casillas (27.31s).
Darren Belfon (24.33s) and Carrington (24.52s) then secured a one-three finish for the twin island republic in the boys’ 13-14 50m freestyle, with Mexico’s Carlos Moreno Sarmiento (24.48s), separating them.
Trinidad and Tobago had more success in the girls’ 15-17 50m freestyle where Amari Ash, left rivals in her wake to win in 26.71s, bettering Mexico’s Valeri Villarreal Rodriguez (26.95s) and Habbi Abrin Vargas (27.04s).
The boys’ 15-17 50m freestyle was won by Panama’s Julio Rodriguez Rosales (23.43s), ahead of Haiti’s Raphael Grand Pierre (23.68s) and Javier Nunez Barreras (23.75s) of Dominican Republic.
Carrington was again the Caribbean’s top performer in the 100m backstroke sequence, as he won the 13-14 event in 59.21s, again denying a Mexican duo in Oliver Lund Centelles (59.36s) and Matt William Flores Mora (59.47s).
The Caribbean’s next best performances came in the boys’ 11-12 event where Zion John Baptiste of Virgin Islands Swimming placed third in 1:05.66, behind Matias Rojas (1:04.91) of Costa Rica and Felipe Alvarez (1:05.66).
Trinidad and Tobago’s Johann-Matthew Matamoro (58.83s) was also third in the boys’ 18 and over event, behind Costa Rica’s Guido Montero (58.33s) and Diego Angel Montoya Arias (58.70s) of Mexico.
Haiti’s Christian Jerome was the Caribbean’s lone medallist in the 200m butterfly sequence. He topped the boys’ 13-14 event in 2:10.51, turning back the challenge of another Mexican duo Franco Santiago Soria Marquez (2:12.13) and Erick Raul Villalpando Frausto (2:14.95).
Meanwhile, Trinidad and Tobago brought the curtains down on the penultimate day of action with a bronze medal finish in the boys’ 13-14 4X200m freestyle relays. The team of Carrington, Anpherne Bernard, Liam Roberts and Belfon, clocked 8:28.03, behind Mexico (8:08.99) and Costa Rica (8:24.33).
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