Steele shines as Holmwood fights back
HOLMWOOD TECH’S Sasheika Steele matched the Class Three girls 100m record as the one-time ‘Champs Queens’ fought back ahead of today’s ISSA-GraceKennedy Boys and Girls’ Athletics Championships’ climax inside the National Stadium Steele stopped the clock at 11.50 to carve her name beside Shauna Helps’ as record holder, outpowering Hydel’s Gabrielle Matthews, 11.73, and Campion’s Krystal Sloley, 11.86, as Holmwood clawed into defending champions Edwin Allen’s lead after a strong all-round showing on yesterday’s penultimate day of competition. Three-time defending champions Edwin Allen ended the day on 130 points, with the 10time champions Holmwood logging 110 points of their own. St Jago are next best with 104; Hydel, 89; Excelsior, 65; and Vere Technical 53. In the Class One 100m event, St Jago’s Aneka Brissett won in 11.41 seconds ahead of Edwin Allen’s Patrice Moody, 11.67, and Renee Shaw of Excelsior, who clocked 11.72. Michae Harriott (Holmwood), 11.63, won the gold in the Class Two 100m final ahead of Mount Alvernia’s Kemba Nelson, 11.72, and St Jago’s Kimone Shaw, the former champion. Class Four hotshot Brianna Lyston of St Jago stayed on course for an expected sprint double with a 11.86 win in the final, with teammate Danae Nembhard, 12.08, and Tia Clayton (Edwin Allen), 12.28, following her to the line. Earlier in the day, Wolmer’s Girls’ Janeek Brown broke the Class One girls 100m hurdles record with a 13.52 run to erase Peta-Gaye Williams’ old mark of 13.56 in the event, set in 2015. Big winners yesterday were:Britany Anderson of Vere Technical, who ran a new Class Two Girls 100m record in 13.04 seconds in the semi-finals from heat two. She will go into today’s final as favourite for the gold medal and could upstage defending champion Daszay Freeman of Manchester High, who booked her spot with 13.37. St Jago’s Rosealee Cooper qualified third in 13.50, with former record holder Shanette Allison of Holmwood, 13.69, expected to challenge. The girls javelin throw Open final was won by Georgetta Samuels of Holmwood Technical, with a throw of 46.64m. Second went to Sah-jay Stevens of St Jago, 46.05m, and third to Kimoy Phillips Petersfield, 43.08m. Annishka McDonald won the girls Class Four high jump with a clearance at 1.64 metres; silver went to Malaika Cunningham, 1.61m, and Sashanti Hinds of Hydel, 1.55m. The Girls Class Two discus gold went to Marie Forbes (Vere) with a throw of 41.74m. Holmwood’s Shaday Hudson got silver with 40.51m, and the bronze went to Shamella Donaldson of Rusea’s (40.41m). Meanwhile, girls Class Three 400m favourite and defending champion Joanne Reid of St Jago qualified in 56.58 seconds behind Holmwood’s Daniella Deer (54.80) and Nattesha Palmer, also of Holmwood (56.58) to today’s final. The Girls Class One 100m hurdles final will have a packed field of stars, including: Gabrielle McDonald of Edwin Allen High, who should be hard to beat after qualifying in a record time of 13.52 seconds. She will face stout challenges from Janeek Brown of Wolmer’s, 13.53, and schoolmate Amoi Brown, 13.58.