Calabar and Holmwood with 2013 Champs
By Dania Bogle
Records fell like rain as Calabar and Holmwood claimed the 2013 ISSA Boys & Girls Athletic Championships titles inside Kingston’s National Stadium on Saturday.
Calabar came from third place on day four to move ahead mid-afternoon on the final day and never looked back, ending with 299 points ahead of Jamaica College 258.5, and Kingston College 247.5.
It was Edwin Allen’s championships to lose and lose they did as Holmwood, who lost in 2012 after eight straight wins, came from 40 points behind to take over following several crucial wins on Saturday’s final day.
Edwin Allen needed to finish at least two places ahead in the final event 4x400m Open but could not hold on as Holmwood finished second to Vere in a new record 3.3.31 and ended the championships on 310.5 points to Edwin Allen's 305.5.
St. Jago was third with 208 and Vere fourth with 202.
Delano Williams joined the ranks of ‘Champs’ legends becoming the first athlete since 1986 to win the class one sprint double after clocking a Turks and Caicos Islands junior record 20.27 to win the class one 200m on Saturday, pushing Green Island’s Odail Todd (20.78) into second and Calabar’s Javon Francis (20.82) into third.
The world junior 200m champion brought the curtains down in style as he stamped his class in anchoring Munro to victory in the 4x400m relay open in a record –the 30th of the champs- 3:09.21 seconds.
Shericka Jackson, who anchored Vere to the 4x400m win, earlier secured the 200m on a day for double sprint winners.
The Vere athlete closed out her Champs career in style with the winning time of 22.98 ahead of Edwin Allen’s Monique Spencer 23.44 and Holmwood’s Kedisha Dallas 23.61.
KC’s Jhevaughn Matherson, after winning the 100m class three boys title, added the 200m to his trophy case with a new record 21.87 seconds lowering the 22.07 he set in Thursday’s qualifying.
Matherson was unmatched as he came off the curve in front and continued to charge ahead, finishing in front of his teammate Nathaniel Bann in 22.30 and Calabar’s Anthony Carpenter 22.69.
Calabar’s Michael O’Hara won his third individual gold of the championships with victory in the class two 200m as he eased away from Devaughn Baker of JC (21.05) and St. Jago’s Raheem Chambers (21.86) to take victory in 20.63.
Wolmer’s Joneille Smith also became a sprint double winner adding the girls’ class two 200m title to the 100m, clocking 23.83 to win ahead of Natallia Whyte of St. Jago 23.97 and Dianna Johnson of Holmwood 24.03.
St. Jago’s Kimone Shaw took the sprint double adding the class four 200m title to the 100m she won on Friday sprinting unchallenged to the line in 24.28 seconds.
Hydel’s Shaneil English was again runner up in 24.65 while Sashell Frater of St. Jago was third in 25.02.
Meanwhile Taqece Duggan of Hydel took gold in the class three 200m with 23.77 ahead of her teammate Yanique Dayle 24.03 and Shellece Clark of Edwin Allen 24.25.
Omar McLeod of Kingston College set his third record in two days when he clocked 13.24 seconds to win the class one 110m hurdles.
Jamaica College’s Tyler Mason 13.51 and Wolmer’s Yannick Hart 13.72 were no match for McLeod, who on Friday won the 400m hurdles open also in record time. He had earlier broken the 110m hurdles record in the Friday’s semi-finals.
Calabar’s star Michael O’Hara won his second of three titles when he blasted a new record 13.45 seconds to win the class two 110m hurdles pulling away from the pack to beat Jaheel Hyde of Wolmer’s into second in 13.72 and his Calabar teammate Seanie Selvin in 14.13.
Rushelle Burton won her second medal of the Champs with her second record in the hurdles claiming the class three girls 80m event in 11.13, lowering the mark of 11.27 she established on Friday’s fourth day.
Brittani Thompson of Hydel was second in 11.32 and third Nicolee Foster of Holmwood in a time of 11.68.
Kamali Simpson of St. Jago clocked a record 13.10 seconds to win the class three boys 100m hurdles blowing the old mark of 13.11 set by Matthew Palmer in 2001.
Renaldo Banton of STETHS was second in 13.34 and Alex Robinson third in 13.35.
Kingston College’s Nathaniel Bann demolished the class three boys 400m record, leaving Calabar’s Christopher Taylor and Anthony Carpenter in his wake as he opened up a 20 metre gap on his way to victory in a time of 49.13, erasing the old mark of 49.63 set by Ali Watson of Calabar in 1991.
Taylor clocked 50.68 and Carpenter 51.02 for second and third respectively.
Jamaica College’s Devaughn Baker did one better than he finished last year, taking control on the back stretch to power his way round the curve and into the final stretch to take the class two boys 400m title in a new record 46.64 seconds, erasing the 47.24 set by Calabar’s Ramone McKenzie in 2007.
A fast finishing Jaheel Hyde of Wolmer’s finished second in 46.93 ahead of St. Jago’s Martin Manley in 46.95.
Hydel set a new record in the class three 4x100m relay with a time of 45.76 and bettered Holmwood’s 45.83 set in 2011.
They were ahead of Edwin Allen’s 45.91 and Wolmer’s 47.01.
Jamaica College thrashed the class two record stopping the clock at 40.54 seconds as St. Jago and Calabar finished second and third in 40.72 and 41.12 respectively.
Wolmer’s Kristoff Bryan broke the 18 year old class one boys high jump record clearing the bar at 2.19m.
Zaavan Richards of Kingston College established a new record in the Boys open javelin throw eclipsing the old mark of 58.75 set by James McDonald of Jamaica College in 2001 as he threw 59.66m.
Orlando Thomas of Bridgeport also bettered the previous record throwing 59.59 while Linkoy Tucker of JC threw 57.80m.
In the crucial relays Kingston College won the Class one boys event in a time of 39.85 as a fast finishing Delano Williams could not save Munro who were second in 39.82 ahead of Green Island in 40.09.
Kingston College also won the class three relay in a time of 42.36 while Calabar was second in 43.05 and St. Jago third in 43.30.
Holmwood made up points in the sprint medley with victory in 4:03.72 ahead of Vere 4:04.12, and Hydel 4:06.45.
The boys section went to Vere 3:30.48 ahead of KC 3:31.36 and St. Jago 3:32.03.
Carifta medalist Gleneve Grange of Holmwood bettered her own record in the Class one Shot Put when she threw 13.00m to win and erased her own mark of 13.49m.
Tara-Sue Barnett of Edwin Allen picked up her second medal of the championships claiming second with a throw of 12.41m while Rashel Reid of Mannings finished third with a distance of 12.26m.
Kino Dunkley of Munro also had a record in the discus class two throwing 52.09 and bettering Oshane Chamber’s 50.75 set in 2010.
Sanjae Lawrence of Petersfield threw 46.15m for second and Ronald Hastings of Calabar 45.24m for third.
Meanwhile, Okalia Buchanan captured the class three girls 400m title after emerging from the pack at in the final 100m to edge Hydel’s Taqece Duggan in a time of 54.42 seconds.
Duggan was second in 54.83 and Allesha Kelly of Guy’s Hill third in 55.00 seconds.
Yanique McNeil of Vere retained the class two 400m title in fine style racing to the line in 53.40 ahead of Papine’s Tiffany James 54.22 and Balaclava’s Donna-Lee Loney in a time of 54.45.
Shericka Jackson claimed the class one 400m in a time of 51.60 ahead of Holmwood’s Chris-Ann Gordon 52.16 with Vere’s Olivia James third in 52.92.
Calabar’s Javon Francis led from start to finish taking the class one boys 400m in 46.21 seconds as Manchester’s Lennox Williams had to play bridesmaid once again finishing second in 46.79 with Ivan Henry of St. Jago in 47.69.
The favourites Peta Gaye Williams of Excelsior, who established a new record in the event on Friday, and Tishanna Monteith of St. Jago were both disqualified from the class two girls 100m hurdles after false starts.
Yanique Thompson of Holmwood went on to win clocking 13.44 seconds ahead of Wolmer’s Davina Young in 13.95 and Andrenette Knight of Vere in 14.03.
Shanette Allison of Holmwood won the class four 70m hurdles in a time of 10.72 ahead of Joda Campbell of Hydel 10.84 and Ebony Forbes of ST. Andrew 10.90.
The class one 100m hurdles event was won by St. Jago’s Chrisdale McCarthy who went through the line in 13.75 seconds ahead of her team-mate Tatiana Wolfe in 14.01 seconds and Sashel Brown of Alpha in 14.08.
Britnie Dixon won her second title of the championships in claiming the class three 800m in a time of 2:14.00 ahead of Asshani Robb of Edwin Allen 2:14.03 and STETH’s Junelle Bromfield 2:13.65.
Jauvaney James of STETHS secured the boys equivalent as the field was no match. He clocked 2:01.14 to win ahead of JC’s Phillip Williams 2:03.27 and Damoy Boyd of KC 2:03.33.
Dirk Williamson ran from the back to go past Calabar’s Orville Dixon and Manchester’s Rayon Dunkley to capture the class two boys 800m. His time was 1:58.64 while Dunkley clocked 1:58.72 and Dixon 1:58.73.
Kevon Robinson of Spaldings pulled away from the competition in the final 300m to secure the class one boys 800m in 1:52.21 ahead of a fast finishing Jorel Bellafonte of Calabar 1:52.91 and Brian Smith of KC (1:52.91).
Chris-Ann Gordon recovered from the 400m loss to take the 800m title in a time of 2:09.56 ahead of St. Mary’s Titania Markland in 2:10.56 and Monique McPherson of St. Jago 2:11.26.
Jehvania Vidal-Whyte of Vere secured the class two girls high jump with a height of 1.82m ahead of Safia Morgan of Immaculate 1.79m and Shanae McKenzie of Manchester 1.70m.
Holmwood’s Colestia Baker leapt 5.62m to win the class three long jump with Danielle Spence of Wolmer’s second 5.47m and Tissana Hickling of St. Jago third 5.45m.
Opal James secured victory in the Long Jump class one girls with a leap of 5.84m ahead of Diana Caudwell of St. Jago (5.78m) and Runique Gray also of St. Jago 5.58m.