MIRAMAR, Florida -- Team USA leads the medal table with 42, including 17 gold, entering the final day of the 16th Pan American Junior Championships at the Ansin Sports Complex. There are 15 event finals today, capped off by the 4x100 and 4x400 relays. Periodic updates will be posted here.

Morning session

Men's 10K Racewalk -- The current and former American Junior record holders were in the race, but Colombia's Eider Arevalo was the heavy favorite and he didn't disappoint. Trevor Barron, the U.S. senior 20K champion from Eugene in June and former AJR holder, executed his pre-race plan well but could not overcome Arevalo's finishing speed as he placed second at 41:39.16, ten seconds behind Arevalo. Tyler Sorensen, the current AJR holder, did not fare as well, ending up fifth at 44:38.17.

Men's hammer -- Any of Alec Faldermeyer's four legal throws would have easily captured the gold, and his 72.89/239-2 in the third round gave him the win by 20 feet. The UCLA freshman had a monster sector foul on his final attempt that appeared to be over 75 meters. Oregon prep Greg Skipper had a solid series to take fourth with a best of 63.26/207-6.

Women's 400 hurdles semis -- Running to eliminate only one competitor from two heats, Team USA's Tia Gamble and Angelica Weaver took it easy and did just what was necessary to advance to tonight's final. Gamble was third in the first section at 60.54, and Weaver clocked 61.16 for fourth in the second semi.

Evening session

Women's 400 hurdles -- The evening session started off poorly for Team USA as Texas high schooler Tia Gamble placed fifth at 60.36 and Cal's Angelica Weaver was eighth at 62.09. Katrina Seymour of the Bahamas took the gold in 57.87.

Men's shot put -- South Dakota prep star Kyle McKelvey had a second-round throw of 18.39/60-4 to take the silver medal behind Jamaica's Ashinia Miller, who won with an impressive 19.97/65-6.25. Caleb Whitener of Georgia won the bronze with his opening 18.29/60-0.25.

Women's heptathlon -- Wisconsin's Deanna Latham placed third with a score of 5,277 points, one spot ahead of San Diego State's Allison Reaser, who was fourth at 5,162. Brazil's Tamara Souza won with 5,477.

Men's high jump -- Maalik Reynolds of Penn, who was seventh at the NCAA championships, cleared 2.22/7-3.25 on his first attempt to capture the gold ahead of Ryan Ingraham of the Bahamas, who cleared the same height on his second attempt. Coppin State's Brandon Baskerville nabbed the bronze, leaping 2.15/7-0.5.

Women's 1500 -- Accustomed to the steamy conditions, Florida's Cory McGee waited until the final 200 to unleash a kick that took her to gold in 4:35.46. Michigan high schooler Brook Handler wasn't quite as accustomed to the heat and still ran well to take the bronze at 4:37.17.

Men's 5000 -- Jacob Hurysz of North Carolina made a strong move over the final two laps to win a hard-fought gold, clocking 14:55.92. Hurysz traded pacing duties through the first 10 laps before taking a lead he wouldn't relinquish.

Women's 4x100 relay -- A botched handoff on the first exchange between Jenna Prandini and Keilah Tyson doomed Team USA as they did not finish. The team from the Bahamas made the most of the U.S. absence, storming to gold in 45.04.



Athlete quotes

Alec Faldermeyer (gold, men's hammer) -- "Today I was not as good technically as I was in practice yesterday. My winning throw was not a bad throw, and I was pretty happy with the series. It was better than at the U.S. Juniors. My best throws were fouls today. I was working on slowing down on entry and letting the ball do the work. We do train with the lighter implement at UCLA, and it was fun to throw it in competition after throwing the 16 in college meets all year. My goal for next year is to throw 74 meters and do well at the Trials."

Greg Skipper (4th, men's hammer) -- "I knew I needed a PR or near PR on my last throw to medal.Morning competitions don't go very well for me, it's not my best time to throw. I have been breaking down my technique to improve, and it held me back today to not be as strong and fast as I was earlier this season."

Trevor Barron (silver, men's 10K walk) -- "I was excited to come here for international competition. Knowing it was only 10K, I was ready for the distance. There are some changes from the 20K, and I have been building up for the longer distance working on a long push. I knew I wouldn't be as fast at the finish as Arevalo, so I went hard through the middle of the race. He is a World Cup champion, so I knew it would be tough to win. I went to Colombia for a month earlier this year and I knew Arevalo. My time at the Olympic Training Center has been very helpful. This is my first international medal, and I am very thankful for all the help I have received from USATF and others."