Immaculate’s Robinson wins Class Two long jump title
Immaculate Conception High’s Jadea Robinson won the Class Two Girls’ long jump title in a stirring battle with Hydel High’s Zavien Bernard at the ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys’ and Girls’ Athletics Championships at the National Stadium Thursday.
It took a personal best (PB) 5.91m (0.2m/s) from Robinson, beating her previous best 5.83m set last year to hold off Bernard, the bronze medallist in Class Three last year, who also produced a PB of 5.87m (0.8m/s) in the final round.
Robinson led from the start when she produced a jump of 5.82m (0.2m/s) and was never overtaken as St Jago High’s Janella Canns was third with 5.55m (-0.0m/s).
Bernard will be going after another medal on Saturday, the final day of the championships, after she led the Girls Class 2 high jump in Thursday’s qualification. The Hydel High student, who set the Class Three record last year, was the only athlete to clear 1.65m.
Four athletes — Alexia Williams of St Jago High, Mikayla Longmore of Holmwood Technical, Malia Housen of Mount Alvernia, and Kijonna Lee of Vere Technical — all cleared 1.60m.
Earlier in the day, St Mary High School’s Sackoya Palmer won the Class Three Girls high jump in a mild upset with all three medallists clearing 1.65m and had to be separated by tie breakers.
Palmer, who was also second at the Carifta Trials, had a ‘clean card’ up to 1.65m before failing at 1.70m, while St Jago High’s Brianna Stewart cleared three of her four heights on second attempts. Campion College’s Stefvanco Henry needed a third jump at 1.65m.
St Catherine High’s Gabriella Treasure, who was second last year with 1.68m, was fourth with 1.65m.
St Elizabeth Technical’s Anastasia Richards produced a PB of 5.49m (-0.2m/s) to win the Class Four Girls long jump gold medal.
The Western Champs gold medallist set the pace from the first round and then followed with two more jumps that would have won the competition, 5.27m (0.2m/s) and 5.30m (-0.2m/s) in the third round.
Edwin Allen’s Kemoya Campbell was second with 5.21m (-0.1m/s) and Sanique Watt of Immaculate Conception High took the bronze ahead of Jessica Francis of Alphansus Davis High as both jumped 5.18m. However, Watt got the edge as her second best jump of 5.16m was better than Francis’ 5.15m.
Girls standings after 15 events:
1. Holmwood 83
2. Edwin Allen 79
3. Hydel 77
4. St Jago 48
5. Immaculate 28
6. Wolmer’s 25
7. Vere 23
7. Excelsior 23
8. Alphansus Davis 22
10. St Mary High 19
— Paul A Reid