Fit and healthy Kennedy flies away with Class One 400m
Edwin Allen quarter-miler Delano Kennedy produced a masterclass moment to win the Boys’ Class One 400m final at the ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys’ and Girls’ Athletics Championships at the National Stadium last evening.
Kennedy, who is competing in his final year at Champs, won the event in a new personal best 45.27 seconds, erasing his previous best 45.49.
“I am feeling good to win this year because this is my last year at Champs,” said Kennedy, who finished fourth in the event last year.
“I am happy with the time because it is a personal best time for me. I knew that I would have run a fast time because I have been running well all season and I am fit and healthy,” he said.
Malique Smith-Band of Jamaica College (JC) was second in a personal best 45.74, while third went to Jasauna Dennis of St Elizabeth Technical High School (STETHS) in 45.87.
Tahj-Marques White from Kingston College (KC) won the boys’ Class Two 400m final in 47.73 ahead of JC’s Omary Robinson (48.49) and Nickecoy Bramwell from Calabar 48.88.
Christopher Ellis of Calabar clocked 50.49 to win the boys’ Class Three 400m final, while the KC pair of Jordan Rehedul (50.67) and Eshanee Porter (50.69) finished second and third, respectively.
KC’s Amani Phillips took home the gold medal in the boys’ Class Three high jump event with a leap of 1.81m with Munro’s Selethel Johnson copping the silver with a mark of 1.80m, while Richard Green from Calabar took home the bronze in 1.75m.
Meanwhile, JC’s 100m bronze medallist Jaiden Reid leads the field into today’s semi-finals of the boys’ Class One 200m, posting 21.11 seconds.
St Catherine High’s Ruvani Green, who clocked 21.94, holds the second qualifying time going into the semi-finals.
In Class Two, KC Nyrone Wade is fastest qualifier going into the semi-finals with a 21.88 clocking. Sawayne Kerr from St Elizabeth Technical (21.96), Khamani Gordon, of Calabar (22.06), Tahj-Marques White from KC (22.16)and Tavaine Stewart of Herbert Morrison (22.22) rounds of the top five qualifiers to today’s semi-finals.
JC’s Malique Dennis heads a stacked Class Three field into today’s 200m semi-finals after clocking 22.89 to win his heat on Thursday.
KC’s Joshua Spence, who won the 100m gold medal on Wednesday, is also through to the semi-finals after finishing second in heat in 24.50 behind the winner Christopher Ellis of Calabar who won 23.25.
In the field, Excelsior’s Michael Graham leads qualifiers into the day’s final of the boys’ Class Three long jump competition with a mark of 6.29 metres.
Graham, who has been having an excellent season, is expected to be challenged for gold in the event by Everton Thomas from Wolmer’s Boys’ (6.07m) and Campion College’s Nasiir McMorris (6.05). The other main contenders for the final are the KC pair of Amani Phillips and Omarian Miller, Calabar’s Richard Green and St Catherine’s Beando Reid.
The final will be contested at 1:05 pm.
BOYS’ POINTS STANDING (15 events scored)
1) Kingston College 124
2) Jamaica College 121
3) Calabar High 70
4 St Elizabeth Technical 41
5) St Jago High 32
6) Maggotty High 26
7) Edwin Allen High 24
8) Cornwall College 14
9) Herbert Morrison Technical 12
9) Petersfield High 12
11) Excelsior High 10
12) Munro College 8
13) Clarendon College 7
14) BB Coke High 6