Brown, Stephens shine at Youngster Goldsmith
WITH SEVERAL weeks to go before the ISSA GraceKennedy Boys and Girls’ Athletics Championships (Champs), fans inside the National Stadium at the 21st staging of the Youngster Goldsmith Classics last Saturday were treated to excellent all-round performances from some of the country’s top junior athletes. Calabar High School continued to lead the way among the boys, with Kingston College chipping in with good performances, especially in the field events. On the female side, the top four of Edwin Allen High School, Holmwood Technical High School, St Jago High, and Hydel High School gave clinical performances. Leading the way on Saturday were Vere Technical’s Amoi Brown and Calabar’s Michael Stephens, who were both phenomenal in their events. Brown, one of the top Class 1 athletes a year ago in the 100m hurdles, and who is the defending Carifta Games Under-20 champion in the event, upstaged her former teammate, Britany Anderson. Anderson, the IAAF World Under-18 champion, who now attends Camperdown High School and still eligible for Class 2, ran into a red-hot Brown, who was impeccable in clocking an excellent 13.36 seconds. Anderson, who was competitive for most of the way but backed off in the end after failing to trouble Brown, ended second in 13.72 seconds, while The Queen’s School’s Daszay Freeman, the IAAF World Under18 bronze medallist, ran on strongly for third (13.79) after a slow start.
FINE DISPLAY
Stephens, the defending 100m Class 1 champion at Champs, led another vintage performance from Calabar athletes with a fine display in his pet event. Looking very compact and relaxed, Stephens clocked a fast 10.48 seconds to win his heat and produced the top time on the day in the event. His teammate Rosean Henry finished second overall with 10.63 seconds as Excelsior High’s Kimani Gardner was third in 10.64 seconds. Competing in her second race of the season, after opening up at the STETHS meet a week ago, Edwin Allen’s outstanding sprinter Kevona Davis looked sharp after stopping the clock at 11.59 seconds to take the Girl’s Class 2 100m, as St Catherine High School’s Julien Alfred was second in 11.93 seconds, and Rusea’s High’s Lashana Haye, third in 12.02 seconds. Hydel’s Shian Salmon was a double winner on the day after clocking 54.73 seconds to be the best in the girls’ Class 1 400m. Earlier, she won the Open 400m hurdles in 59.11 seconds.