… ‘Schoolers’ shine in field events
HIGH school students tuning up for next month’s GraceKennedy Championships won four field events at yesterday’s 34th Gibson Memorial Relays at the National Stadium.
Wolmers’ Boys’ Kamal Fuller, St Elizabeth Technical’s Rochelle Farquharson, Immaculate’s Samantha Elliot and Mikhail Russell of Kingston College were all winners in the events contested in the Open Classes.
Newly-crowned national record-holder Sheree Francis, representing Fortis International, in her first meet since setting the new mark of 1.91m, won the women’s high jump with a sub-par 1.85m ahead of Manchester High’s Class 2 athlete Chanice Porter, 1.80m, while four jumpers were tied at 1.70m.
The former Vere Technical and Texas A&M jumper told the Sunday Observer that while the height was not what she had hoped for, she was still happy with the effort.
“I am a little disappointed. I was expecting to jump at last 1.95m, but the event started early and the sun was hot, I’m not looking to find excuses, but 1.85m is fine. I am OK with 1.85m.”
Fuller won the Men’s long jump Open with a winded-aided (2.2m/s) 7.56m ahead of teammate Romone Bailey 7.49m and MVP’s Sunil Anderson, 7.46m.
Farquharson, the IAAF World Youth Championships fourth-placed finisher, extended her unbeaten run in the long jump with a wind-aided (3.1m/s) 6.10m, the same mark as Nickevea Wilson of Camperdown, (1.8m/s) while former Holmwood Technical standout Salcia Slack, representing MVP Club, was third in 6.06m.
Russell won the Men’s pole vault in 3.95m, beating Jamaica College’s Hugh Lewis on the count-back, with another Kingston College athlete, Xavier Boland, taking third with 3.75m.
Elliot took the 100m hurdles in 14.21 seconds, well ahead of Latoya James of Convent of Mercy, with St Andrew High’s Janet Johnson third in 15.29 seconds.
Meanwhile, former Boys’ Champs Class 1 winner Lorne Campbell opened his season with a 14.30 seconds win in the 110m hurdles, finishing ahead of UTech’s Hansle Parchment, 14.45, with Andros Amadon of High Performance TC third in 14.81.