Photo: Nigel Ellis secured the 200m final in 20.72 seconds ahead of Kingston College’s Akeem Bloomfield 21.06 seconds and a fast finishing Hujaye Cornwall, also of STETHS in 21.30 seconds.
St Elizabeth Technical High School sprinter Nigel Ellis preliminary round disqualification in the blue ribbon 100m event along with a host of wind affected performances on the track headlined Saturday’s first day of the Jamaica Athletics Association (JAAA) Junior Athletics Championships.
The Class One Boys 100m champion from ‘Champs’ and top Jamaican junior was favoured by most if not all pundits to cop the 100m title, but after false starting in heat four of the preliminary races, was left understandably disappointed and distraught at the unfortunate happening.
Raheem Chambers (St Jago) won the final in a modest 10.70 seconds into a -1.8 m/s head wind. Kingston College’s Jevaughn Matherson recovered from a poor start to snatch the runner up spot in 10.77 seconds with preliminary round fastest qualifier Fabian Hewitt (Calabar) hanging on for third in 10.80 seconds.
The Girls had to battle an even stronger -5.5 m/s head wind in the final of their event, with Edwin Allen’s Class One champion, Patrice Moodie in 12.16 seconds coming out on top. A strong starting Vanesha Pusey (Green Island High) held on for second in 12.17 ahead of Camperdown’s Rushelle Burton 12.22 seconds and St Jago’s Shanice Reid 12.26 seconds
The Class Two champion from Champs, Kimone Shaw (12.44) of St Jago and Edwin Allen’s Class Two standout Shellece Clark (12.36) was only good enough for fifth and sixth respectively.
Ellis made a successful rebound on day two of the championships by securing the 200m final in 20.72 seconds ahead of Kingston College’s Akeem Bloomfield 21.06 seconds and a fast finishing Hujaye Cornwall, also of STETHS in 21.30 seconds.
Reid turned the tables in the 200m final, winning in a modest 24.22, ahead of Hydel’s Roniesha Mcgregor 24.46 and Green Island’s Pusey in 24.70 seconds.
World number two ranked 400m hurdler Shannon Kalawan of Edwin Allen took care of the 400m hurdles final with relative ease, beating the three women field by over 10m in 59.45 seconds. Holmwood Technical’s Nicolee Foster 1:01.52 and St Jago Lavaun Stephenson 1:05.73 rounded out the field.
Kalawaan and Foster had already surpassed the 1:00.75 standard set for qualification to the World Junior Championships.
Reigning World Youth 400m hurdles champion and world number one junior athlete, Jaheed Hyde, ensured he secured his ticket to the World Junior Championship with victory in the boys final. The University of West Indies athlete crossed the line in 51.47 seconds, way outside his world leading mark of 49.16 seconds.
Aykeeme Francis (Calabar) 51.86 seconds and Sherwayne Allen (Kingston College) 52.55 seconds finished runners up to Hyde in the U 20 category.
St Jago’s Timor Barrette was the second athlete to cross the finish line, but was declared U18 champion by virtue of his age. Ronaldo Griffiths (Clara Barton high) 56.62 was second in that category.
Mico University College’s Tiffany James impressed on the second day of competition, winning the girls 400m race in a personal best, 52.06 seconds. She was trailed home by the St. Elizabeth Technical’s pair of Junelle Bromfield (52.59 seconds) and Stacey Ann Williams (55.52 seconds).
World Youth champion Christopher Taylor could not match or better his 2016 best, but still managed to secure the boys 400m final in 46.26 seconds. The eight world ranked athlete outpaced St Jago’s Season Bailey 46.51 and fellow teammate Anthony Carpenter 47.25 seconds.
Mavis Bank’s Garfield Gordon put in a gutsy performance in the Boys 300m Steeplechase however failed to hit the qualifying mark 9:10.00 seconds He crossed the line in 10:16.86 seconds hours after winning the early morning Best Dressed Chicken 5k Road Race.
His two teammates in Shaun Richards (10:47.97) and Devon Senior (10:57.51) completed the field in the three man straight final.
Their Mavis Bank High compatriot Shaun Richards won the 5000m final on the opening day of the championship in 16:15.00 seconds.
Holmwood Technical’s Chrissanni May 2: 12.91 seconds won the girls 800m ahead of Edwin Allen’s Ashani Robb 2:14.15 seconds. Neither managed to get close to the qualifying mark of 2:09.20 seconds.
The time of 1:52.43 was good enough for Bellefield’s Shevan Parkes to win the Boys final, but was nowhere close to the 1:49.50 seconds needed to have given him a spot on the plane to Poland.
There was no joy in the throws for Warren Barrett (Calabar) only managing 19.09m and 49.37m (third and fifth overall) in the Boys Shot Put and Discus events in the U 20 categories.
The Petersfield high pair of Sanjae Lawrence and Kevin Nedrick shared top shots in both events. Lawrence took the shot put title in 19.45m ahead of Nedrick’s 19.18m. The order was reversed in the Discus final with Nedrick hurling the implement out to a World Junior qualifying mark of 55.72m and Lawrence managing 51.79m, just shy of the 55.00m qualifying mark.
The outstanding Excelsior High athlete Shanice Love did as was expected by winning the girls U 20 Discus with 50.82m, finishing as the only athlete getting by the qualifying mark of 48.00m.
Hydel’s Devia Brown produced 46.24m to secure the U18 category.
St Jago’s Janelle Fullerton won the Girls U 20 Shot Put title with 14.53m, surpassing the 14.50m qualifying mark.
Tissana Hickling (St Jago) secured the only double victory of the championship winning the Triple Jump final (12.92m) and Long Jump final (6.48m) respectively. The latter was supported by a (+2.7 m/s ) supporting wind.
Her teammate and world junior qualifier Shawn D Thompson won the male long jump with a wind aided mark of 7.79 ( +3.3m/s). Cornwall’s Alrick Ottey (7.45m) and Kingston College Shawon Coke 7.41m was second and third respectively.
The only mark wind legal mark achieved in that event was that of Kingston College’s Shaquille Lowe (6.79m) for sixth position.
There was surprised disappointments for Jamaica College’s Obrien Wasome, who was less than impressive in both Long and Triple Jump. He leapt 5.94m and 16.04m for ninth and fourth respectively.
Campion College’s Jordon Scott leapt 16.61m (4.4m/s) to win the final ahead of Calabar’s Javier Lowe with 16.09m (1.6m/s).
Hydel’s Shian Salmon 1.75m and St Jago’s Lushane Wilson 2:05, won the High Jump finals for Girls and Boys respectively, but came up short of the qualifying marks.
Both had entered the championship with seeded marks a 01.m shy of the and 1.83m and 2.16m qualification standards.
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