ALIYAH Abrams became Guyana’s brightest star at the Pan Am Games in Lima, Peru, having become the first Guyanese to qualify for a final in a track event, during a dismal performance from the athletes representing the ‘592’ in Track and Field.

After Brenessa Thompson and Emmanuel Archibald failed to make it out of the qualifiers in the 100m, and Jenea McCammon did not finish the Women’s 110m hurdles, Abrams clocked 52.92 seconds in heat one of two in the women’s 400m.

In her qualifiers, Abrams, whose Personal Best in the event is 51.13 seconds, set on June 8, finished 5th behind Jamaica’s Shericka Jackson (51.99s), Cuba’s Roxana Gomez (52.04s), Jaide Stepter of the USA (52.19s) and Canadian Cheresse Constantine (52.92s).

Abrams will compete in the final today, while Thompson will look to bounce back from her poor performance in the 100m, when she takes the field in the 200m. Winston George will also be on show today in the Men’s 200m.

Meanwhile, Archibald, Guyana’s National record-holder in the Long Jump (8.12 metres), finished 11th in a field of 13 jumpers in the Men’s Long Jump at the Pan Am Games.

Archibald,, who only made three attempts, leaped a distance of 7.21 metres, in the event that was won by Cuba Juan Miguel Echevarria (8.27 metres). Juan Miguel Echevarria is the current World Indoor Champion and the 2015 Junior Pan Am Champion.

Jamaican Tajay Gayle was second (8.17 metres) and Uruguay’s Emiliano Lasa Sanchez came third with a distance of 7.87 metres.