‘We need those points’
JC’s Creary uses 1500 upset to fuel title hopes
IT WAS a dramatic end to the boys’ Class 2 1500 metres as Jamaica College’s (JC) Samuel Creary ran past Kingston College’s (KC) Nahashon Ruto on the homestretch to claim the title and earn a massive nine-point haul for JC.
Inches separated the two as Creary won gold in a time of 4:04.01, while Ruto stopped the clock at 4:04.03 for silver.
Raheem Palmer of Alphansus Davis rounded out the podium when he took bronze in 4:08.57. Ruto came off the final bend with the lead, but the fast-finishing Creary was just too much to handle for the man from North Street, who could not find that half-step needed to hold off the eventual champion. Creary was beaming with pride after his race, confident he had the strength to overturn Ruto’s lead.
So much so, Creary had started to celebrate with the crowd even before he had crossed the finish line.
“Well, the win feels pretty good because I’ve trained all season for this, and I knew that I would go out there and perform to my coach’s instructions and always put God first.”
Creary’s win did not only secure nine points for JC, but with his teammate, Shemar Green, finishing fifth in 4:11.79, the school from Old Hope Road left the final with 13 points compared to rivals’ KC’s haul of 8.
While he admitted that it was still early days, Creary said if his team continues to have good performances in finals, the confidence in their camp will continue to grow.
He believes that JC will be in the mix come Saturday for a fight to lay claim to the boys’ title.
“Well, it feels pretty good, to be honest, because we need those points,” he said.
“The team is feeling pretty good, and anything is possible. Champs isn’t won on the first or the second day. It’s not on the Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday that you’ll win Champs. You win Champs on Saturday, so it’s who has the fight and dedication that wins.”