Medals aplenty for Team Ja at US Open

JAMAICA's martial artists won 26 medals on Saturday, including six gold, to end the International Sports Karate Association United States Open with a haul of 41 medals - 12 gold, 9 silver and 20 bronze.

Led by Akino Lindsay's double gold in clash and points sparring, Jamaica equalled Friday's haul of six gold, increasing their tally in silver and bronze by seven and 13 medals, respectively.

Trevor Webb Jr took the 18-35 title in 184lb-and-under clash sparring. Romario Martin,18-35 intermediate, capped his US Open debut by ending the tournament with a second gold, adding to the continuous sparring title he won on Friday.

Ultimate Taekwondo's Jasmine Barrows was Jamaica's lone gold medallist in a depleted female squad, winning points sparring in 18-35, 139lb and under, in which her teammate, Aneeke Brown, won bronze. Barrows and Brown both won bronze in 139 and under, 18-35, points sparring as the seniors again held their own against the best in the world.

Lindsay too good

Rasean Martin found Lindsay too good in clash sparring and had to settle for silver in a Jamaican trifecta completed by Kenneth Edwards' bronze in the 185lb-and-over division. Seido Jamaica fighters Oral Rumble and Richard Touzlain ended with three bronze.

Rumble, fighting among 18-35, doubled in continuous and points in the 184-and-under division, whereas Touzlain picked up points sparring bronze in the 200lb-and-over category.

Calabar High School's Tevin Hartley rounded off Jamaica's 12-gold show by winning the 16-17 beginners' title in clash sparring.

After winning only four medals on Friday, led by junior black belt Tyrique Tai-Loy's gold in continuous sparring, Jamaica's youngsters sprung to life on Saturday.

Calabar's Tai-Loy picked up bronze in 14-15 points sparring, whereas his fellow black belt juniors, the St George's College pair of Duncan Smith and Miguel Hamilton, respectively won silver and bronze in 16-17 clash sparring.

Ultimate Taekwondo's Antoine Alexander won silver for points sparring in 12-13 beginners, and Jamaica College's Sharic Bowen also got silver in advanced 14-15 clash sparring.

Other silver medal winners were Calabar's Lamari Johnson in 16-17 beginners and Ackeem Gordon, recent Wolmer's Boys' School graduate, who earned double silver in points and clash sparring among 18-35 beginners.

Pembroke Hall High's Britney Mitchell picked up her second bronze of the tournament in intermediate 16-17 clash sparring, and Penwood High's Deandre Elliott also won clash sparring bronze in the boys' 16-17 intermediate bracket.

Ningen Karate's David Richards added points sparring bronze to continuous won on Friday in 8-9 advanced as the youngsters closed with Ultimate Taekwondo's Alexander's bronze in 12-13 intermediate clash sparring.