William Knibb Memorial High’s Cheyenne Cooper competes in the long jump on the opening day of the COCAA Western Championships at STETHS Sports Complex in Santa Cruz on Wednesday.Photos: Paul Reid
William Knibb’s Cheyenne Cooper revels in Western Champs double
SANTA CRUZ, St Elizabeth — William Knibb Memorial High’s Cheyenne Cooper enjoyed her first-ever win at the County of Cornwall Athletics Association’s Western High Schools Championships so much that she added a second victory on Wednesday’s opening day at the St Elizabeth Technical Sports Complex.
Cooper jumped a personal best 5.55m (2.0m/s) to win the girls’ Class 1 long jump and added the high jump later in the day, equalling her lifetime best 1.65m.
Latest News, News
February 23, 2025
ST CATHERINE, Jamaica - A St Catherine woman is in custody after allegedly inflicting damage to the roof and windows of a man's home following an argu...
With the triple jump to follow on Saturday’s second and final day — to be staged at G C Foster College in St Catherine — Cooper said she was expecting more from her favourite event, the high jump.
“I am feeling great about getting a new PB [personal best] in the long jump,” the 18-year-old athlete told the Jamaica Observer.
Latest News, News
February 23, 2025
ST MARY, Jamaica - A 25-year-old man was shot and killed in St Mary while he was sleeping early Sunday morning. Dead is Renford “Scamma” Dean of Iterb...
“But I felt I could have done better in the high jump because I came out here to get a new PB, which is what I was really working towards. Unfortunately, it did not happen, but I am still grateful for winning both events, the high and the long jump.”
Cooper, in her final year of high school competition, added: “I am being more consistent and I know that I can do way better [in the high jump] than what I’m doing and my goal was to get to 1.70m at Western Champs and then work my way up from there.”
Horse Racing, Sports
February 23, 2025
Tiz Tok , a highly touted five-year-old American-bred bay horse trained by renowned conditioner Anthony Nunes, is expected to deliver a scintillating ...
She, however, said she surpassed her target in the long jump after she eclipsed her previous best of 5.40m.
“The goal there was to get to 5.50m and I got past that,” she said.
In both events, Cooper beat Mount Alvernia High’s Jayla-Shae Wright and Chrystal Salmon of St Elizabeth Technical High School (STETHS).
Wright jumped 5.29m (1.8m/s) in the long jump and cleared 1.60m in the high jump, while Salmon had marks of 5.13m (1.3m/s) and 1.35m, respectively.
Meanwhile, Munro College’s Oneil Brown raised eyebrows after he ran 49.18 seconds to lead the qualifiers in the Class 2 boys’ 400m, well ahead Norman Sutherland (50.96) of STETHS and Alanzo James (51.04) of Petersfield High.
Brown also led the Class 2 400m hurdles, running 57.09. O’Shae Johnson of William Knibb Memorial was next best with 58.52 and Cornwall College’s Kemar McLennon (59.36).
Munro College’s Selethel Johnson won the boys’ Class 2 high jump with 1.85m, beating his teammate Ainsworth Ferguson (1.80m) and Jayden Wolliston (1.80m) of Herbert Morrison Technical.
Ricoy Hunter of STETHS retained his boys’ Class 1 long jump title with a wind-aided 7.20m (5.6m/s), his only legal jump of the competition. That jump came in the third round after he had fouled his first two efforts.
Petersfield High’s Svein Lawrence was second with 6.83m (4.8m/s) and Herbert Morrison’s Santino Distin third with 6.53m (5.4m/s).
Mount Alvernia High’s Malia Housen won the Class 2 girls’ high jump with 1.55m, beating William Knibb Memorials’s Tahira Lee (1.50m) and Kaiee Graham of Mount Alvernia High (1.45m).
Munro College’s Devonte Edwards won the Boys’ Class 1 shot put with a personal best 18.00m, beating Cornwall College’s Mar-Lando Farquharson (16.45m). Sydney Pagon High’s Dwight Frazer took third with 13.79m.
