CHAMPS FINALE! – Calabar, KC set for grand showdown
CALABAR High surged to a 16 1/2-point lead in the ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys’ and Girls’ Athletics Championships after 17 finals on yesterday’s penultimate day of the four-day meet, setting the stage for an epic battle with arch-rivals Kingston College (KC) and Jamaica College (JC) on today’s final day.
Calabar lead with 118.5 points ahead of KC on 102, Jamaica College with 89, and Wolmer’s Boys with 45.5 points and St Jago on 38 points for the top five.
World Youth Olympic 100m champion Odeen Skeen’s miserable championship continued after he pickstarted in the Class One 100m final. Earlier he failed to make the Class One 200m finals.
The blue-ribbon event was won by Delano Williams of Munro College in a decent 10.37 seconds, just ahead of favourite Jazeel Murphy of Bridgeport in 10.39 seconds.
Raheem Chambers of St Jago’s broke the Class Three 100m record in 10.86 seconds, while Raheem Robinson of Wolmer’s Boys stopped the clock at 10.60 to win the Class Two event.
Sammawi Wellington of KC won his second gold in the Class Three long jump with an impressive 6.88m, just outside the 16-year-old record set by Munro’s Paul Thompson of 6.97m done in 1996.
Wellington had earlier captured the high jump on Thursday with 1.75m. Lorne Barrett of Campion College was second and Renaldo Richards of Oberlin High third.
JC won their first event of the championships courtesy of Gavin
Gibson in the Class Two long jump with a leap of 6.91m. His teammate Edward Clarke was fifth with 6.62m as the dark blue boys from Old Hope Road earned 13 valuable points. Calabar’s Jullane Walker was second with 6.85m.
Calabar picked up 12 points in the Class Two shot put placing second and fourth courtesy of Shamar Kitson and Stefan McDonald, respectively.
The event was won by Edwin Allen’s Demar Gayle, throwing 16.74m for gold. Kitson threw 15.64m for second, while Stevon Crooks of Petersfield High was third with 15.55m. McDonald finished fourth with 15.22m.
JC picked up four points finishing sixth and eighth with Jason Stephenson (14.41m) and Alex Parkinson (14.28m). KC’s Jamie Hugh Brown finished seventh with 14.40m for two points.
Meanwhile, World Youth Olympic 110 hurdles fourth-placed finisher, Stefan Fennell of KC, looked in immaculate form in registering the fastest time of 13.66 seconds heading into the Class One final.
Yanick Hart of Wolmer’s Boys’ won his heat in 13.82 and was second overall ahead of Omar McLeod of Manchester High with 13.84 and hunting the hurdles double, being the favourite for the 400m hurdles.
The Class One 400 is also shaping up to be a very good one between the two Williams, Jovan of KC with the fastest time of 47.67 and an easy looking Lennox of Manchester with 47.69. Calabar’s Javon Francis with 48.08 was the third fastest.
JC’s Tevin White with the seventh fastest time of 48.21 was disqualified, which is a serious setback for the defending champions as both KC and Calabar have two athletes in the final.
However, JC are expected to recoup lost points as they enter the Class Two 400m with two of the top three times. Devaughn Baker won his semi-final in 48.03 seconds ahead of Calabar’s Fabian Lauthers in 48.51, while race favourite Rohan Walker joked around in 48.69 in semi-final two ahead of Malcolm Campbell of Calabar.
In Class Three, Calabar’s Aykeeme Francis streaked to an impressive 50.61 seconds in his semi-final ahead of Damane Dixon of Dinthill with 51.16
KC’s prodigy, Jhevaughn Matherson eased home in 51.22 in winning the second semi-final ahead of Cody Housen of JC in 51.46 seconds.
In the relays, Calabar missed out big time in the Medley Open after failing to qualify for the final in which both JC and KC have the two fastest times of 3:30.27 and 3:30.65, respectively. KC’s first-year Class One jumper Clive Pullen won the Triple Jump Open with 15.71m ahead of the favourite Demar Robinson of Calabar with 15.34m.
The Boys’ Class One high jump saw all the top performers advancing, led by Calabar’s captain Demar Robinson, his teammate Jovan Swaby; KC’s duo of David Hall and Romaine Blair; Fitzroy Dunkley and Ashani Wright of JC, all with 1.90m.
Calabar’s Ravion Ashman has the longest throw in the Javelin Open of 56.89 heading into the finals. Che-Andre Gordon of Wolmer’s was next with 52.53m and favourite Jenthrow Tindale of Edwin Allen third with 52.49m.
Top 10 after 17 finals:
Calabar 118.5, KC 102, JC 89, Wolmer’s 48.5, St Jago 38, Munro 36, Holmwood 27, St Elizabeth Technical 24, Petersfield 16, Bellefield 16.