Defending champs Naggo Head secure seventh title

Photo: Naggo Head Primary celebrate retaining the INSPORTS Primary School Athletic Championships at the National Stadium on Saturday.

Kingston, Jamaica – Naggo Head are primary school champions for the seventh time after successfully defending their crown at the 36th INSPORTS Primary School Athletic Championships at the National Stadium today.

The Portmore-based institution coached by Floyd Coke is now the second most successful team in the history of the competition behind 10-time champions Waterford after amassing 228 points ahead of Southborough (117), Rousseau (103), St Richard’s (88) and Black River (84).

The defending champions entered the fourth and final day a point behind Black River Primary with 28 points but moved to the pinnacle after Quaycian Davis took the Class Two girl’s 300m title in record fashion, capturing the gold in 42.69 seconds.

In fact the first four finishers all dipped below the 44.41 seconds set by Nataliah Whyte in 2008, with Davis upstaging pre-race favourite Somoi Russell of St Aloysius. Silver went to St John’s Assaneya Tomlin (42.89), while Russell copped the bronze in 43.67. Brianna Toylor of Portsmouth was fourth in 44.24, but was disqualified for lane violation.

Milton Luckain of Spanish Town Primary clocked 41.10 to smash Christopher Taylor’s 300m record of 41.81 in the Class Two boy’s 300m final, but was later disqualified for a lane violation.  Ronaldo Reid of St Jude’s Primary, who also went below the old mark, clocking 41.30, was promoted to the gold, while Southborough’s Kemarrio Bygrave (41.93) got silver and Matthew Curriah (42.21) of the bronze. Luckain was rewarded, though, in the 200m after finishing second behind Yourie Lawrence of Naggo Head.

Former Waterford athlete Chevene Hamilton’s 2010 record of 56.27 seconds is now history, after Jovani Clarke of Iris Gelly lowered the mark to win the Class One boy’s 400m. Raheem Richards (57.29) of Lawrence Taveren and Omarion Davis (58.56) of Jessie Ripoll were second and third respectively.

Brianna Lyston of Southborough Primary broke the record in the Class One girl’s 100m final, clocking 12.47 seconds to better Sasha-Gaye Cunningham’s 2001 mark of 12.52. Shenequa Vassell (12.97) of Howard Cooke was second, while Yallahs’ Serena Cole was third in 13.12. Lyston then add the 200m crown, decimating the field to win in 25.91 seconds, as Vassell was second in 27.47, followed by Alecia Williams (27.90) of Naggo Head.

Bouwahjgie Nkrumie won the marquee event, the Class One Boy’s 100m final, in 12.66 seconds ahead of Ryan Roach of St Jude’s (12.88) and David Thomas (12.94) of St Richard’s. Nrkumie had to settle for silver in the 200m final, though, as he was edged in the last five metres by 400m champion Clarke, who clocked 24.89 seconds.