Country Sweeps Regional Athletics Championship

YOUNG Costa Rican athletes dominatedboth the men’s and women’s categoriesin the Central American AthleticsChampionship in Managua, Nicaragua,last weekend, sweeping away its rivalswith 30 gold medals of a possible 79.Two hundred and fifty young athletesfrom Costa Rica, Guatemala, Panama andNicaragua competed in the 13th annualCentral American A Youth AthleticsChampionship tournament, and the 18thCentral American B Youth AthleticsChampionship, hosted in the Olympicstadium in Nicaragua’s capital.Besides the 30 gold, Costa Rica won33 silver and 22 bronze medals for a totalof 85, surpassing its closest competitor,Guatemala, by 21 medals. Guatemalawon 21 gold medals, Panama won 16 andNicaragua won 12.Athletes from Honduras, El Salvadorand Belize did not participate in thechampionship; they remained hunkereddown at home because of the threatposed by tropical storm Adrián, whichdid not cause the damage meteorologistssuspected it might.