#Champs2023: 13 finals to be decided Thursday
KINGSTON, Jamaica— Another 12 finals as well as the boys’ Open Decathlon will be decided on Thursday’s third day of the ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys’ and Girls’ Athletics Championships at the National Stadium.
The eagerly anticipated 400m finals will complete the schedule Thursday evening at which time the main contenders for the boys’ and girls’ titles are expected to start separating themselves.
Holmwood Technical’s Rickiann Russell will start favourite to win the girls’ Class 1 400m but Hydel High’s Oneika McAnuff, who is also in the 400m hurdles final, should feature late in the race.
The Class 2 boys’ finals could upstage the Class 1 for quality, with the entire field separated by less than a second. Calabar High’s Nickecoy Bramwell (48.47) is fastest from the semifinals, just ahead of pre-race favourite Kingston College’s Tahj-Marques White (48.49) and Jamaica College’s Omary Robinson (48.50).
Jamaica College’s Malique Smith-Band leads the Class 1 qualifiers with 46.66 seconds, ahead of Kingston College’s Amal Glasgow (46.90) and defending champion Delano Kennedy of Edwin Allen (46.69).
Jamaica College and Edwin Allen lead the points tables from Wednesday.
Jamaica College are on 74 points after eight finals, followed by defending champions Kingston College, 61; Calabar High, 29; St Jago, 28; and St Elizabeth Technical, 27, rounding out the top five.
Edwin Allen High are on 55 points after nine finals, ahead of St Jago High, 47; Holmwood Technical, 41; Hydel High, 39; and Immaculate Conception, 23.
-Paul A Reid