Two records for Petersfield’s Watson

WESTERN BUREAU:

WORLD YOUTH Under-18 400 metres record holder Antonio Watson of Petersfield High School hit top form yesterday to break records in both the Class Two 200 and 400 metres at the County of Cornwall Athletics Association (COCAA)/Digicel Western Athletics Championships at the Montego Bay Sports Complex in Catherine Hall.

In a very close finish to the 200m, Watson and Sachin Dennis of St Elizabeth Technical (STETHS) hit the line together in 21.24 seconds, with Tyrone Barnes (STETHS) placing third. Watson was awarded the win by the closest of margins. The old record was 21.50.

Watson returned minutes later to take the Class Two 400 metres in 48.28. This was over a second better than the previous record of 49.30.

Watson said that he had the 200m record in mind before taking the track, and he followed the instructions of his coach Machel Woolery.

“I knew that he (Dennis) is the faster guy, so I depended on my strength to carry me home in the straight,” Watson said.

WOOLERY PLEASED

Woolery, who is pleased with the work of his star athletes and the team, overall, said, he is now more focused on the long term. Shaquena Foote, also of Petersfield, broke the Class Two 800m record with a 2:07.83 clocking. She took close to 10 seconds off the old mark of 2:17.41.

“It wasn’t a bad performance overall. We just want to ensure they come out of the championships as healthy as possible and then look towards Carifta Trials and Champs,” Woolery said.

He added: “Fortunately, they ran well enough to get the records, but that’s not the objective. We want to maintain this form going into Boys and Girls’ Championships, Carifta Games, and the World Junior Championships.”