Jamaica’s boys set to sizzle at Penns
PHILADELPHIA, United States — Jamaican boys’ high schools are well placed going into today’s final day of the 128th Penn Relays Carnival at Franklin Field in Pennsylvania, as they seek to improve on the two titles won last year.
Seven schools, led by Excelsior High, are through to the Championship of America 4x100m finals, with another six in the international final. Former champions Jamaica College and Kingston College are also through to the high school boys’ 4x800m final.
The heats and finals of the 4x400m are to be run today.
Meanwhile, the Jamaican boys won four individual titles on Friday. Jamaica College athletes accounted for the shot put, long jump and triple jump, while Munro College’s Carifta Games medallist Chad Hendricks won the discus throw — the first from the school since Kino Dunkley won in 2016.
Excelsior High, who won the event 57 years ago when it was the 4x110 yards, was the only team under 41 seconds when they ran 40.62 seconds to win their heat.
Herbert Morrison Technical, who were originally left off the list of qualifiers, were next best with 41.26, followed by Kingston College (41.30), St Jago High (41.35), St George’s College (41.42), Calabar High (41.70), and defending champions Jamaica College (41.73).
Wolmer’s Boys’, who were originally in the Championship of America finals after running 41.84, were bumped to the international finals along with William Knibb Memorial (41.99).
They will join St Technical Elizabeth High School (42.26), Cornwall College (42.53), Munro College (42.83), and Petersfield High (43.14).
Jamaica College (7:45.38 minutes) and Kingston College (7:53.86) are also through to the high school boys’ 4x800m final on Saturday.
The day, which featured chilly temperatures throughout, got off to a fast start with wins in the individual events. Shaiquan Dunn won the shot put event while his teammates Balvin Israel and Chavez Penn took the long and triple jumps titles, respectively.
Dunn threw 20.73m to extend his unbeaten run against schoolboys in the shot put this season, as he extended the Jamaican win streak at the Penn Relays to five straight.
Devonte Edwards of Munro College took fourth with 19.52m and Cornwall College’s Mar-lando Farquharson was 11th with 16.99m.
Hendricks won the discus throw with a big 66.17m, the fourth-best ever at the Penn Relays and only behind three Calabar throwers — Traves Smikle’s 69.55m in 2011; Fedrick Dacres’ 68.73 in 2013; and Kai Chang’s 66.42m in 2019.
Benjamin Shue of Bergen Catholic in New Jersey was second with 61.55m, and Ashton Heard of Christian Brothers of Tennessee placed third with 58.42m.
Israel jumped 7.24m (-0.2m/s) to win the long jump, also taking a fifthstraight win by a Jamaican. He finished ahead of Kingston College’s Nathan Wade who recorded 7.09m (-0.7m/s), and Rickoy Hunter of STETHS who was sixth with 6.78m (-0.2m/s). Excelsior High’s Renaldino Medwinter placed 10th with 6.52m and Edwards Sterling of Wolmer’s Boys’ 12th with 6.42m.
Penn jumped 15.38m (-0.9m/s) to take the triple jump, well ahead of Wolmer’s Boys’ Nicardo Grey-clarke who registered 14.52m (-0.2m/s) and Cornwall College’s O’brien Bowen who finished with 14.49m (-0.9m/s).