Shelly sparkles
TRIPLE Olympic gold medallist Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce opened her season in style, easily winning the women’s 60m open in 7.11 seconds at the Queen’s/Grace Jackson Track and Field Meet at the National Stadium yesterday.
Nesta Carter, the 100m World Championships bronze medallist also made a winning start blowing away the field in 6.52 seconds to highlight the 60th anniversary of the Queen’s High School at this the 16th staging of the meet.
Both Fraser-Pryce and Carter are using these races in preparation for the IAAF World Indoor Championships set for Poland in March.
Fraser-Pryce, with her usual bullet start, was never in danger and actually cruised home ahead of the powerful Carrie Russell, her MVP teammate, and Elain Thompson of UTech.
Carter did likewise and won comfortably ahead of his MVP teammate Winston Barnes.
Meanwhile, the region’s fastest youngster, Zharnel Hughes of Kingston College (KC), made his long-awaited debut on local soil, winning his Class One 400m heat in a wonderful 48.80 seconds.
The Carifta and Pan Am Junior 100m champion turned back Wolmer’s Boys’ Jaheel Hyde, the World Youth 110m hurdles champion, who did 49.16 seconds.
But the fastest time was done by the impressive-looking Nathon Allen of St Jago, who clocked 47.96 seconds ahead of Jason Drake of Calabar High in 48.66.
KC’s Karayme Bartley was third quickest with 48.76 seconds.
KC’s Donte Williams continued his good form, stopping the clock at 49.78 seconds in his heat. His teammate and Class Three record holder Nathaniel Bann was second-quickest with 49.95, with Calabar’s Akeem Francis third fastest in 50.53 seconds.
Calabar’s Christopher Taylor cruised home in the Class Three 400m in 50.85, ahead of Javad Black of St Jago in 51.61 seconds.
Edino Steele of Racers Track Club lowered the 400m men’s open record of 46.90 to 46.75 seconds. Riker Hylton, also of Racers, was second-fastest, winning his heat in 47.74 seconds, with Josef Robertson of Cameron Blazer, third quickest in 47.86.
MVP’s Kaliese Spencer easily won the women’s 400m open in 51.39 seconds ahead of teammates Anneisha McLaughlin in 52.77, and Christine Day with 53.66 seconds.
Cameka Witter of St Andrew Technical High was quickest in the Class One girls 400m with 56.24 ahead of Shantae Green of Holmwood in 57.49.
Ashley Williams of Holmwood captured the Class Two 400m in 56.66, which would have placed her a close second in Class One. Shanice Reid of St Jago was second-fastest in 58.19 seconds.
It was Holmwood again in the Class Three 400m with Nadesha Wallace fastest with 58.39 seconds ahead of St Jago’s Sashell Frater with 59.32 seconds.
Athaliah Boyd of St Jago won the girls’ high jump Under-17 with a height of 1.65m ahead of Colista Baker of Holmwood with 1.60m.
Shanice Love, with 43.05m, captured the girls Under-17 discus. Coya Christie of Wolmer’s was second
with 39.90m.
Kyle Mitchell of Wolmer’s Boys won the Under-17 discus with 43.96m ahead of Patrick Williams of Jamaica College with 39.93m.
World Youth 400m champion Martin Manley of St Jago looked to be in good form winning his Class One 200m heat in 21.48 seconds. His teammate Chad Walker was second-fastest in 21.70 seconds.
Last season’s Class Three sprint double record holder Jevaughn Matherson of KC showed that he is in good nick, cruising home in heat one of the Class Two 200m in 22.18. This season’s find, Akeem Bloomfield, was more impressive, strolling home in heat four in an awesome 21.89 seconds. St Jago’s Shamar Barnes was third-fastest with 22.73 seconds.
Calabar’s Dejour Russell with 22.91 seconds was quickest in the Class Three 200m ahead of Gary Gordon of St Jago in 23.61. KC’s Yashawn Hamilton was next in 23.62.
The outstanding Class Four champion of last-year Kimone Shaw of St Jago, is proving that she will be hard to beat in Class Three with an impressive 24.69 seconds for the 200m, which was easily the fastest of the day.
Her teammate Sashell Frater won her heat in 25.44 seconds ahead of Krissancia Sang of John Mills in 25.79 seconds.
KC took the quinella in the Under-17 long jump courtesy of Tadje Thompson and Sham Wellington with 6.65m and 6.63m, respectively. Calabar’s Alex Robinson was third with 6.34m.
The man on a mission, UWI’s Federick Dacres, again outclassed the field in the men’s discus open with a massive 59.64m, well ahead of his teammate Oshane Harris with 43.47m.
Israel Ramsay of UTech won the girls’ Under-20 long jump with a leap of 5.84m, the same as second-placed Adrienne Rose of Wolmer’s.
Malik Lynch of Wolmer’s Boys captured the Under-20 discus with 44.13m ahead of KC’s Mickel Hudson
with 42.14m.
The much-talked-about Vashon McCarthy of Ascot, competing under the name “Throwers Are Us”, won the Class One shot put
with 15.84m.