Champs’ top performances
There were several outstanding performances from both sexes at the recent ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys and Girls’ Athletics Championships on the track and in the field.
STAR Sports
picks the top 10 performances at the meet – five boys and five girls.
GIRLS’ TOP FIVE
Kimeka Smith (St Jago) – Class Two Shot Put
Smith broke the first record of the championships after winning the girls’ shot put with a heave of 16.44 metres. This broke the 2018 mark of 15.99 metres by Danielle Sloley, formerly of Immaculate Conception High. Smith took a double at the meet after winning the heptathlon event.
Kimeka Smith
Abigail Campbell (Hydel) – Class One 400 metres
The former Ferncourt High athlete, in her first time competing for Hydel at the championships, produced an impressive 52.27 seconds personal best to win the 400 metres. Her winning time is fourth on the world under-20 list.
Tonyan Beckford (Edwin Allen) – Open 400 metres hurdles
Beckford captured the Open 400 metres hurdles in a personal best of 56.70 seconds, improving on her previous season best of 58.40.
Shanoya Douglas (Muschett) – Class Two 200 metres
In what was the biggest clash for the girls at the championships, Douglas in a keenly contested event, got the better of Edwin Allen’s Theianna-Lee Terrelonge to win the Class Two 200 metres in 23.93 seconds, with the athletes running in a negative wind of 3.5 metres per second. It was a rare defeat for Terrelonge.
Theianna-Lee Terrelonge (Edwin Allen) – Class Two 100 metres
Terrelonge, who had the crowd in oohs and aahs in the preliminary round and semi-finals of the Class Two 100 metres, came close to breaking her former teammate Kevona Davis’ 2018 record of 11.16 seconds, by winning in 11.21. Her winning time is No. 2 on the world under-20 top list, behind Australia’s Torrie Lewis with 11.10.
BOYS’ TOP FIVE
Shaiquan Dunn (Jamaica College) – Class One discus
Dunn produced a massive throw of 65.48 metres to win the boys’ Class One discus for one of the farthest at these championships in the event.
Cavel Nooks (Jamaica College) – Class Three 800 metres
Nooks came the closest to breaking a record on the track at the championships after winning the Class Three 800 metres in 1:58.25 minutes. Nooks’ time was just outside
the record of 1:58.06 done by Waqar DaCosta, formerly of JC in 2007.
Marchino Rose (Kingston College) – Class One 400 metres
Rose produced a lifetime best of 45.93 seconds to win the Class One 400 metres. His winning time is fifth on the world under-20 top list.
Demarco Bennett (Excelsior) – Class Two 400 metres hurdles
One of the fastest times ever run in the event, after he won in a personal best 51.70 seconds, coming close to the record of 51.44, done by Jeremy Farr, formerly of Wolmer’s Boys’ School in 2017.
Michael Andre Edwards (Jamaica College) – Class Two triple jump
The only record among the boys after he won the Class Two triple jump with a new mark of 15.54 metres. This broke the previous record of 15.51 by former Calabar High jumper, Luke Brown in 2019.