Tausaga-Collins, Sanchez Estrada break significant meet records

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

It began with a women’s discus meet record from Iowa freshman Laulauga Tausaga-Collins and concluded with another sweep of the 4x100-meter relays.

Although the Americans encountered some tough setbacks in between Saturday at the 19th at the Pan American U20 Championships, they still finished with five more gold medals and 17 overall at “CHAN CHAN” Athletics Stadium, increasing their totals to 14 golds and 37 medals in Trujillo, Peru.

Collins’ sixth-round throw of 194 feet, 6 inches (59.29m) broke the 1997 meet record of 189-10 (57.88m) held by former UCLA star and seven-time NCAA champion Seilala Sua, giving the U.S. consecutive victories in the event and 13 women’s discus gold medals in meet history. Tausaga-Collins entered the meet as the World U20 leader at 194-9 (59.37m).

There were only two meet records taken down on the second day, with Puerto Rico’s Ryan Sanchez Estrada eclipsing the only standard remaining from the first edition of the biennial event in 1980.

Sanchez Estrada won the men’s 800 meters in 1 minute, 46.41 seconds, not only lowering the 1980 mark of 1:47.85 by Brazil’s Joaquim Cruz – who went on to win the Olympic gold medal in 1984 and capture silver in 1988 – but capturing his country’s first Pan Am U20 title in the event. Canada’s Marco Arop also ran faster than the previous record to capture silver in 1:47.08.

The Americans closed out the schedule with sweeping the top two spots in the both the men’s decathlon and 10,000, in addition to the women’s and men’s 4x100 relays securing victories.

Florida State freshman Steven Cross and Southern Utah freshman Aidan Reed secured the first 10,000 sweep for the U.S. since 2005 and only the second for the Americans in meet history. Cross clocked 32:09.66 to capture the fourth consecutive title for the U.S. and Reed ran 32:10.15 to earn silver.

Texas freshman George Patrick won the decathlon with 7,514 points and Germantown Academy PA junior Kyle Garland secured silver with 7,212 points, helping the U.S. secure a second consecutive sweep and the Americans’ seventh in meet history. Patrick won the 13th all-time gold medal for the U.S. in the two-day event.

The 4x100 wins marked the 14th time in meet history the U.S. won both titles.

USC freshman TJ Brock earned his second gold medal of the meet by anchoring the men’s relay in 39.33. American Heritage FL junior Anthony Schwartz, North Carolina State freshman Cravont Charleston and Keller Fossil Ridge TX graduate Sean Hooper, a Texas Tech signee, teamed with Brock to capture men’s relay gold for the 16th time overall.

Agoura CA graduate Tara Davis, a Georgia signee, added to her long jump gold and 100 hurdles silver medals by contributing to the women’s 4x100 victory in 44.07. Clemson freshman Rebekah Smith, the 100 silver medalist in 11.55, North Carolina State freshman Gabriele Cunningham – bronze medalist in the 200 in 23.60 – and Dallas Carter TX junior ShaCarri Richardson helped the American women match the men with their 16th all-time title.

Christopher Taylor joined past Jamaican champions Usain Bolt and Nickel Ashmeade by capturing gold in the Pan Am U20 men’s 200 in 20.38. Taylor, the 2015 World U18 winner in the 400, captured Jamaica’s fourth title in the event in meet history. Miami Norland FL sophomore Tyrese Cooper secured silver for the U.S. in 20.59.

Canada had an impressive day, capturing four gold medals, including Ashlan Best in the women’s 200, her country’s first title in the event since Angela Bailey in 1980.

Best clocked 23.27 and Miami (Florida) signee Symone Mason took silver for the U.S. in 23.42. Mason, a Miami Southridge graduate, had already captured bronze in the 100 in 11.62.

For the first time in meet history, Canada swept the top two spots in the women’s 800, with Penn State signee Victoria Tachinski winning in 2:04.22 and University of Toronto freshman Jazz Shukla securing silver in 2:04.52. Caitlin Collier, a junior at The Bolles School FL, earned bronze for the U.S. in 2:05.26.

Jean Desgagnes won Canada’s first men’s 3,000 steeplechase title since 2009 and third in meet history, clocking 8:56.57, with Iowa freshman Nathan Mylenek capturing silver for the U.S. in 9:00.70.

Laura Dickinson became Canada’s first women’s 5,000 champion since 2007, prevailing in 16:39.50. Georgia freshman Samantha Drop earned bronze for the Americans in 16:44.01.

Davisleidis Velazco Lavasti produced a fifth-round effort of 44-7 (13.59m) to win the women’s triple jump for Cuba’s eighth all-time gold medal in the event. Alabama signee Jaimie Robinson, a Homewood-Flossmoor IL graduate, grabbed silver for the U.S. with a sixth-round jump of 43-8.50 (13.32m) and Mansfield Lake Ridge TX sophomore Jasmine Moore captured bronze with a first-round leap of 43-5.75 (13.25m).

Maria Murillo Duarte secured Colombia’s second women’s high jump gold medal in meet history, including the first since 1986, by clearing 6-0.75 (1.85m). Bloom Township IL graduate Jelena Rowe captured silver for the U.S. with a 5-11.50 (1.82m) clearance.

Brazil’s Pedro Nunes Rodrigues opened the men’s javelin competition with a 244-8 (74.58m) effort and his first throw held up for the gold, with Academic Magnet SC graduate Liam Christensen, a Stanford signee, taking bronze for the Americans with his opening throw of 220-8 (67.25m).