In a sensational final day of the 2013 Inter-Secondary Sports Association (ISSA)/Grace-Kennedy Boys and Girls’ Cham-pionships, Holmwood Technical High came from well behind at the National Stadium yesterday to clip defending champions Edwin Allen High for the girls’ title, while Calabar High easily retained the boys’ crown.
In a meet which saw 18 records falling on the final day and 30 overall, Holmwood wore down long-time leaders Edwin Allen, took the lead in mid-afternoon and came away with a narrow victory.
The Maurice Wilson-coached Holmwood tallied 310.5 points to regain the title, their 10th in 11 years with Edwin Allen on 305.5. The top five was completed by St Jago (208), Vere Technical (202) and Hydel (157.50).
On the boys’ side, Calabar had just too much allround quality for their rivals and won their 23rd title while Jamaica College (JC) surprised Kingston College (KC) to take second spot. The top five: Calabar – 299, JC 258.5, KC 247.5, Wolmer’s Boys 121, St Jago 107.
The green and black army, coached by Michael Clarke, showed admirable grit to muscle their way past pacesetters Jamaica College and Kingston College.
Calabar’s assistant coach Omar Hawes was elated with the victory.
“It’s a big win for Calabar, we expected a close Champs; it turned out well for us because we got a little more points that we expected but we managed well and this was just our year,” Hawes said.
KC’s Zaavan Richards set the stage in the boys’ open javelin with precious points on the line, making the most of his first throw with a record 59.66m, bettering the old mark of 58.75m set in 2011 by James McDonald. Silver medal winner Orlando Thomas (Bridgeport) actually was the first to break the record, with his 59.59 best. JC’s Linkoy Tucker, 57.80, was third.
KC continued their early assault with Nathaniel Bann, 49.13, breaking the 22-year-old Class Three boys’ 400m record, outpowering the Calabar pair of Christopher Taylor, 50.68, and Anthony Carpenter, 51.02. The old record was set in 1991 by Calabar’s Ali Watson who recorded 49.63.
The Class Two Boys’ 400m final was one for the ages, as the top three all dipped below the old record of 47.24, with JC’s Devaughn Baker taking the gold in 46.64. Wolmer’s Jaheel Hyde was second in 46.63 with Martin Manley (St Jago) third with 46.95. Ramone McKenzie was the old record holder with 47.24 set in 2007.
IAAF World Junior Championships finalist Javon Francis (Calabar), 46.21, obliged in the Class One 400m, winning ahead of the dangerous Lennox Williams, 46.79, of Manchester and St Jago’s Ivan Henry, 47.69.
Discus champion Fedrick Dacres (Calabar), the World Youth and World Junior champion wasn’t pleased with his 62.80m discus win earlier in the meet, but he had to be satisfied with his massive 19.29m Class One shot put fling, erasing his one time teammate Ashinia Miller’s old mark of 18.98m
Second place went to KC’s Chadrick DaCosta, 18.62m with Rushane Byfield (JC) 16.90m picking up the bronze.
Another record went tumbling in the Class Three boys’ 100m hurdles event with St Jago’s Kamali Simpson erasing Mathew Palmer’s 2001 time of 13.11 with a determined 13.10 to get the better of St Elizabeth’s Renaldo Banton, who along with long jump champion Calabar’s Alex Robinson, posted 13.35.
Michael O’Hara (Calabar) underlined his class in the Class Two boys 110m hurdles, winning in a record 13.45, ahead of Wolmer’s Jaheel Hyde, 13.72 and the other Calabar man Seanie Selvin, 13.93. O’Hara’s mark broke Dwayne Robinson’s 13.69 set way back in 1999.
Munro star, Delano Williams, competing in his last Champs completed his 100m/200m sweep – his third straight; taking the 200m in 20.27; agonisingly close to Usain Bolt’s 20.25 mark set in 2003. Odail Todd (Green Island), 20.78 and Calabar’s Javon Francis, 20.82 took the other medal spots.
Michael O’Hara (Calabar) followed up his 100m and 110m hurdles gold medals with another in the Class Two 200m, with a 20.63 win, leaving JC’s Devaughn Baker, 21.05 and Raheem Chamber (St Jago), 21.26 for dead.
On the girls’ side, Edwin Allen entered the championships as the overwhelming favourites to claim only their second lien on the title and looked well on course after assuming the lead from day two.
Holmwood held a three-point lead going in tot final event, the 4x400m and a second place finish in that event was enough to hand them the title.
The race was won by Vere Technical in 3:30.51 minutes with Holmwood clinching the title by placing second in 3:37.44. Edwin Allen, 3:38.13, were third.
Earlier, Edwin Allen suffered a blow to their championships hopes when favourite Marleena Eubanks failed to face the starter for the Class Two 800m final. Eubanks, who won the Class One 1500m on Friday, however, ran on the 4x400m relay team.
Meanwhile, Vere’s Shericka Jackson, competing at her final Champs went out in style after capturing the Class One 200m and 400m titles.
The Vere Technical athlete won the 200m in 22.98 seconds. Edwin Allen’s Monique Spencer ran 23.44 seconds for the silver medal ahead of Holmwood’s Kedisha Dallas (22.98).
The 18-year-old also defended her Class One 400m title winning in 51.60 seconds improving on her previous personal best (PB) of 52.94 seconds.
via André Lowe of Jamaica Gleaner
