| 21st Central American and Caribbean Championships in Athletics | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Dates | 4– 6 July. 2008 |
| Host city | Cali, Colombia |
| Venue | Estadio Pedro Grajales |
| Level | Senior |
| Events | 44 |
| Participation | 383 athletes from 30 (+ 3 guest nations) nations |
| Records set | 6 Championship records |
The 2008 Central American and Caribbean Championships in Athletics were held at the Estadio Pedro Grajales in Cali, Colombia between 4–6 July 2008.[1] A total of 44 events were contested, of which 22 by male and 22 by female athletes. During the three-day competition, six championship records were broken. The competition took place at almost 1000 m above sea level, a factor which helps athletic performance in some events.[2]
Cuba took the most medals overall, winning 34 medals – half of which were gold.[3] The hosts Colombia were the next best with 8 golds and 24 medals altogether, shortly followed by Trinidad and Tobago. Guest athletes took part in some events, but their performances were excluded from the medal tally.[4]
Championship records were broken in both triple jump events; by Mabel Gay in the women's event and Leevan Sands in the men's. The championships also saw four national records broken in competition. Two athletes topped the podium twice: Rosibel García completed the 800 metres/1500 metres double, while Indira Terrero won in the 400 metres sprint and relay races. Bertha Sánchez, representing the hosts, took the 10,000 metres title, but just missed out on a second gold, winning the silver in the 5000 metres. Bahamian Shamar Sands showed multi-event ability by winning the 110 metres hurdles gold medal, as well as helping his country to the 100 m relay silver medal.
