Dacres repeats as champion for Jamaica as both men’s and women’s discus meet records are broken in Peru; Former Texas star Malone makes history in women’s long jump with first title in any event for British Virgin Islands, as does Canadian Wodak in women’s 10,000

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

It was all about dominance in the discus throw on the opening day of track and field competition Tuesday at the 18th Pan American Games at Athletic Stadium in Lima, Peru.

Jamaica’s Fedrick Dacres repeated as men’s champion, eclipsing the 1983 meet record, with Yaime Perez Tellez adding to Cuba’s legacy in the women’s competition, also breaking the 2011 event standard held by countrywoman Yarelys Barrios.

Dacres and Traves Smikle produced the first sweep of the top two spots by Jamaican discus throwers in meet history and the first by any country in the men’s event since the United States in 2007.

Dacres’ second-round effort sailed 222 feet (67.68m), surpassing the mark of 220-10 (67.32m) established by Cuba’s Luis Delis from 26 years ago, the first time discus competition was part of the Pan American Games schedule.

Smikle moved in front of American Reggie Jagers with a fifth-round throw of 213-4 (65.02m) to secure silver. Jagers held on for bronze with a second-round effort of 211-6 (64.48m).

Perez Tellez not only rallied for the gold medal with a sixth-round throw of 218-5 (66.58m), but she also moved past Barrios’ mark of 217-10 (66.40m) from eight years ago for the best performance in meet history to improve on her second-place finish from 2015.

The championship was the fourth in a row and eighth overall in the women’s discus for Cuba.

Brazil’s Andressa de Morais, who produced a mark of 216-5 (65.98m), was leading from the second round until the next-to-last throw of the competition from Perez Tellez.

Fellow Brazilian Fernanda Borges grabbed bronze with an effort of 204-2 (62.23m).

The best American performance of the first day came in the women’s long jump from Atlanta Track Club member and reigning U.S. national triple jump champion Keturah Orji.

After finishing sixth July 27 at the USATF Outdoor Championships, Orji rebounded to capture a silver medal Tuesday with a fourth-round leap of 21-10.25 (6.66m). It marked the first international long jump medal at the senior level for Orji – an eight-time NCAA Division 1 champion at Georgia – who secured silver in the long jump and bronze in the triple jump for the U.S. at the 2013 World U-18 Championships in Ukraine, followed by silver in the triple jump last year at the Athletics World Cup in London.

Chantel Malone, a former Texas All-American, made history for the British Virgin Islands by not only winning the title with a first-round jump of 21-11 (6.68m), but securing the country’s first track and field medal of any kind at the event.

Ironically, Orji’s mark in Des Moines, Iowa at the USATF Championships was identical to Malone’s winning performance Tuesday. Jamaica’s Tissanna Hickling earned bronze with a first-round effort of 21-7.50 (6.59m).

Natasha Wodak also made history for Canada by winning the country’s first Pan American gold medal in the women’s 10,000 meters in 31:55.17.

Wodak led five athletes under the previous meet record of 32:41.33 by Mexico’s Brenda Flores in 2015, including bronze medalist Rachel Cliff of Canada in 32:13.34. Mexico’s Risper Gesabwa secured silver in 31:59.

Mexico achieved its third straight title and eighth overall in the men’s 5,000 final, with Fernando Martinez Estrada clocking 13:53.87. Brazil’s Altobeli Santos edged Chile’s Carlos Martin Diaz Del Rio by a 13:54.42 to 13:54.43 margin to decide silver and bronze.