Soaring to new heights
SHE ARRIVED at the ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys and Girls’ Athletics Championships hell-bent on getting her name in the history book and that is exactly what Excelsior’s Shantae Foreman managed inside the National Stadium in front of a packed grandstand.
Excelsior picked up 15 points in the girls’ Class Three high jump final after Foreman’s recordbreaking clearance of 1.79m – a result that helped them to a top three spot in the points standings yesterday.
Her schoolmate Daniel Hinds finished third after clearing 1.70m, the same height as silver medalist Daniella Anglin, who attends Herbert Morrison. Foreman’s clearance betters the 1.78m mark, which was set in 2014.
The Mountain View Avenue-based outfit, were on 30 points behind defending champions Edwin Allen (40).
Hydel 33 (second), St Jago 27 (fourth) and Holmwood 26 are the other teams in the top five.
“On my second attempt I told myself that I can clear it and I must clear it because I really wanted to break the record and to make my name go down in the record book,” Foreman told The Gleaner.
“I am very happy with my performance because this is what I came here for and I did it,” added Foreman – clearly too shy to say much more.
The result was hardly a surprise since Foreman came into the championships as the overwhelming favourite being the only girl in her class to clear 1.70m this season. She will next feature in the long jump event, which starts this morning at 10:30.
FASTEST TIME
Edwin Allen’s Patrice Moody will be looking to continue her march to another Class One girls 100m title after securing her lane in today’s semifinals with a 11.87 win in the preliminaries. Aneka Brissett (St Jago) has the fastest time heading into the next round after her 11.79 run with Green Island’s Kimone Hines, 11.91; Holmwood’s Kelleisha King, 11.93 and Hydel’s Isheena Belnavis, 11.94 impressing most during the heats.
Double sprint champion Kevona Davis (Edwin Allen) stayed on course for a repeat performance at this year’s championships after leading all qualifiers into the 100m semi-finals with a 11.74 clocking in her heat.
She was the only athlete to dip below 12 seconds in the preliminary round with this season’s other sub-12 seconds sprinters Krystal Sloley (Campion), who ran 12.08 in yesterday’s heats, Holmwood’s Sashieka Steele (12.11); Hydel’s Gabrielle Matthews (12.16), Edwin Allen’s Shanique Rowe (12.23) and Mount Alvernia’s Soyienne Grenyion (12.58) all safely through to the next round.
In the Class Four long jump final, St Jago’s Kay-Lagay Clarke was victorious after producing her best jump of her young career (5.33m) to win
ahead of Excelsior’s TrecyAnn Cespedes, 5.32m and Immaculate’s Onanda Lowe, 5.13m, the daughter of former Jamaican footballer Onandi Lowe and sister of current Reggae Boyz defender Damion Lowe.
Shanique Masters finished just outside the medals in the Class Two 800m final last year. Now in Class One, the Hydel standout is looking like a clear medal candidate after posting the fastest time going into the final – 2:14.20, ahead of gold medal favourite Chrisanni May (Holmwood), 2:16.65 as well as the Edwin Allen pair of Kara Grant (2:14.73) and Class One bronze medal winner from 2016 Asshanni Robb (2:16.98).
Edwin Allen’s Cemore Donald, who logged a qualifiers-leading 2:10.14 in the Class Two 800m prelims, is expected to feature prominently in what will easily be one of the races of the championships. Joining her in the final will be fellow heavyweights Shaquena Foote (Petersfield), 2:14.32; Brittney Campbell (Holmwood), 2:16.14; Charokee Young (Hydel), 2:17.28; with another Holmwood girl Delverna Bromfield, 2:13.97 also securing her spot.
Fourteen girls’ finals will be contested on today’s fourth day of competition with the 100m, sprint hurdles, 400m and 1500m among the events on the track featuring all classes.