Jamaican Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce broke the 40-year-old Pan Am Games 200 metres record on Friday. The twice Olympic 100 metres champion clocked 22.43 seconds to win gold.
The 32-year-old clipped two-hundredths of a second off American Evelyn Ashford’s Games record of 22.45s, set at San Juan, Puerto Rico, in 1979.
Fraser-Pryce, who won Olympic titles in 2008 and 2012, beat Brazil’s Vitoria Cristina Rose by almost two-tenths of a second, with Bahamian Tynia Gaither coming third in 22.76s.
Her Jamaican compatriot Danniel Thomas-Dodd smashed another Games record in the women’s shot put, throwing a national record 19.55 metres.
That erased Cuban Maria Elena Sarria’s 1983 record of 19.34 metres.
South American record holder Alex Quinonez of Ecuador won the men’s 200 in 20.27 for an easy victory over Jereem Richards of Trinidad & Tobago (20.38) and Yancarlos Martinez of the Dominican Republic (20.44).
Brazil proved to be the fastest in the 4x100 metres relays, winning the women’s race 43.04 seconds and the men’s in 38.27.
The Brazilians also claimed the men’s 10,000 metres with Ederson Vilela running 28 minutes, 27.47 seconds.
The United States, which has found golds scarce in athletics, won two on the sport’s penultimate day at the Games.
US record holder Kara Winger prevailed in the javelin with a throw of 64.92 metres and Nikki Hiltz took the women’s 1,500 metres in 4:07.14.
Just one positive test so far at Pan Am Games
There has been one positive test at this year's Pan Am Games out of 1,197 anti-doping controls, officials said on Friday with three days of competition remaining.
The Pan American Games Sports Organisation said in a statement that the tests represented one of the largest sample sizes taken in the history of the Games, demonstrating the organisers' commitment to fair play.
The one adverse finding came from Audrey Joel Perez, a member of the Dominican Republic's men's baseball team who tested positive for the anabolic steroid Oxandrolone.
The athlete was informed of the result and his accreditation was immediately withdrawn.
In the case of adverse analytical findings of athletes competing in team sports, more than two positive cases are required to invalidate the team's result.
The Dominican Republic finished group play with a 1-2 record and did not advance to the medal round, placing fifth.
Mexican-American world heavyweight champion Andy Ruiz Jr. will fight Britain's Anthony Joshua in a rematch in Saudi Arabia on Dec. 7, Sky Sports reported on Friday.
Ruiz-Joshua rematch set for Saudi Arabia in December
Mexican-American world heavyweight champion Andy Ruiz Jr. will fight Britain's Anthony Joshua in a rematch in Saudi Arabia on December 7, Sky Sports reported on Friday.
Ruiz produced one of boxing's biggest upsets by beating the 29-year-old Joshua with a seventh-round stoppage at New York's Madison Square Garden on June 1.
The Briton, previously undefeated and fighting for the first time in the United States, was defending his IBF, WBA and WBO titles but was knocked down four times in the fight.
Promoter Eddie Hearn had already confirmed three days after the bout that Joshua had triggered the contracted rematch clause for what he called a 'must-win' fight for the 2012 Olympic super-heavyweight champion.
