Anthony Foster, Freelance Writer

Salcia Slack dons the Jamaican flag after finishing the 800m (2:14.53) event in the pentathlon. She won the pentathlon with a record 3,935 points. - photo by Anthony Foster

Basseterre, St Kitts:

Jamaica's K'Don Samuels and Slacia Slack were in record-breaking form on yesterday's penultimate day of the 37th CARIFTA Games being held at the Bird Rock Athletics Stadium in Basseterre, St. Kitts.

At press time last night, Jamaica had won 40 medals - 15 gold, 16 silver and nine bronze.

Samuels, who finished second behind his Jamaica College's (JC) teammate Chad Scott (4.10m) at Champs, cleared the bar in the pole vault at 4.60 metres for a new CARIFTA Games record.

Samuels' performance eclipsed the previous mark of 4.26m jointly held by B. Johnson of The Bahamas and M. Godfrey of Jamaica since 1987.

Slack secured her record in he girls' pentathlon open when she tallied 3,935 points in the five-discipline event. Her mark bettered the previous best of 3, 868 points set by Jamaican Nadina Marsh in 2003.

Slack beat Audillia Da Veiga of Martinique (3,591 points) and Colleen Felix of Grenada (3,497) to defend her title.

"It feels good and it makes me feel very proud of myself," admitted a delighted Slack. "It's my last year as a junior so I decided (that) I wanted to leave something, so I was aiming to break this record."

Jamaica also picked up gold medals in the girls' 300m hurdles and boys' Under-20 400m hurdles.

In the boys' 400m hurdles, André Peart surprised himself with a 51.81-second run to beat his teammate Kerion Stewart (53.05) and Trinidad and Tobago's Jahue Gordon (53.18).

"I am happy now because I went in the race thinking that I would finish second, but in the end I won so I am feeling really great," an overjoyed Peart said.

"I beat my team mate (Stewart) at the trials, then at Boys' and Girls' Champs he won, so I had doubts in my mind. I am overwhelmed right now," he added while saying a one-two finish was always on the cards.

In the 300m hurdles, Dowie, who attends Wolmer's, stormed to victory in 42.63 seconds to beat the Barbados pair of Kenrisha Brathwaite (43.61) and Sade Mariah Greenidge (44.61).

However, she was not totally pleased.

"I won, but it was quite disappointing that my team mate (Trials winner Samatha Elliott) did not finish because I wanted it to be a one-two."

She continued: "I am very happy that I won, that's what I came here to do but I was hoping for a better time, closer to the record."

Peta-Gaye Reid of Jamaica won the girls' Under-17 high jump with a leap of 1.74m. She beat Akela Jones of Barbados (1.71m) and Deandra Daniel of Trinidad & Tobago (1.65m).

In the Under-17 boys' triple jump, the Jamaica pair of Jonathan Reid (14.17m) and Julian Forte (13.59m) finished second and third, respectively, behind Trinidad & Tobago's Elton Walcott (14.66m).

Slacia Slack finished second in the girls triple jump with a leap of 12.81m. Keisha Willix of Martinique won the event with a leap of 12.91m.