Champs 100 decider
NATIONAL junior 1,500 metres record holder Kemoy Campbell of Bellefield High established one of three records to fall on yesterday’s third and penultimate day of the 100th staging of the ISSA GraceKennedy Boys’ Athletics Championships at the National Stadium in Kingston.
Records were also established in the Class Three 100m and Class Three 1,500m.
After 16 finals, Calabar lead the boys’ standing with 106 points followed by Kingston College (85) and Wolmer’s on 83 in the second and third, respectively. The top five is completed by Jamaica College with 61 and Munro College on 46.5.
Campbell, the NACAC Cross Country Junior champion returned an impressive 3 minutes 45. 54 seconds to take gold, erasing his previous mark of 3 minutes 48.43secs done last year. Campbell, who came through 1,100 metres at 2 minutes 45 seconds, went on to win the race by a clear 50 metres.
“I feel pretty good about the victory because I trained really hard this season coming into Champs and it paid off for me,” Campbell told the Observer, noting that he aims to erase his 5,000m record of 14 mins 33.43secs as well today.
“I will be going for the 5,000 record as well. I don’t know how fast I will go, but I’m going after it,” added the outgoing senior.
Fourteen-year-old Kevaughn Rattray of St Jago clocked 10.90secs (wind +1.0 m/s) to win the Class Three 100m, shaving 0.01seconds off the old mark of 10.91 done by Munro College’s Adam Cummings in 2008. Edward Clarke Jr of Jamaica College, who had earlier taken bronze in the long jump, captured the silver in 11.06secs.
Odeane Skeene of Wolmer’s produced an excellent last 30 metres to catch the Munro College pair of Delano Williams (Turks & Caicos) and Cummings, to win in 10.46secs (wind +0.5 m/s). Williams took the silver with 10.60 ahead of Cummings 10.66 for the bronze.
Wolmer’s also won the Class One 100m, courtesy of Julian Forte, who produced a brilliant last 40 metres to win in 10.49secs (wind +2.0 m/s). Kemar Bailey-Cole of Old Harbour clocked 10.53 for silver (up from bronze last year), while Jeffery Josephs of Camperdown collected the bronze with 10.55secs.
Jodi-Rae Blackwood of Munro College pulled off a major upset in the 400 hurdles open, posting 51.56secs to beat pre-meet favourite Dwayne Extol of Wolmer’s (51.67). Javarn Gallimore of JC secured the bronze with 52.58secs.
The Class Two equivalent went to Oshane Turner, who secured Petersfield High’s first ever gold medal with 4 mins 12.31secs. Aaron Lee of JC clocked 4 mins 14.76secs for silver, ahead of Manchester High’s Oryane Espute with 4 mins 16.45secs for the bronze.
Shavanes Robinson of Titchfield High became the first athlete to win the boys’ Class Three 1,500m, winning in 4 mins 25.67secs to shave 3.29 seconds off his previous record set in the preliminary round. Kemanie Mitchell of Guys Hill took the silver in 4 mins 27.18, ahead of Calabar’s Orville Dixon (4 mins 28.05secs).
Last year’s Class Three champion boy Clive Pullen of KC obliged in the Class Two long jump, taking gold in 7.31 metres, ahead of Munro College’s Adam Cummings with 7.24m. Adams claimed silver on his sixth and last jump. Jouvoy Jones of Holmwood Technical took the bronze with 7.00m.
The Class Three equivalent went to Abraham Robertson of Wolmer’s with 6.93m, followed by Tarull Clarke of Calabar and JC’s Clarke Jr.
Damon McLean of Campion College produced 15.28m to win the triple jump open ahead of KC’s Jonathan Reid (15.25m) and Demar Robinson of Calabar (14.75m).
Earlier, Chadrick Dacosta of KC captured the day’s first final, heaving the shot put 16.90m to take the Class Two event. The Calabar pair of Rashaun Byfield and Oshane Chamber collected the silver and the bronze with 16.85m and 16.39m, respectively.
A whopping 22 finals are scheduled to be contested on today’s fourth and final day, after which the winning school of the 100th staging of Boys’ Champs will be crowned.