Outstanding performances at Milo Western Relays despite rain

BY PAUL A REID Observer writer

Monday, February 15, 2010

ANGELS, St Catherine -- Despite a heavy shower of rain late in the day that threatened to cause a premature end to the 32nd running of the Milo Western Relays at the GC Foster College on Saturday, the day ended on a high with four outstanding mile-relay events.

Munro College had held off Manchester High during the rain to win the High School Boys 4x400m, thanks to a brilliant anchor leg from Dexter McKenzie; Edwin Allen girls turned the tables on Manchester High to cap a day when they won six relays while the star-studded MVP men and women defended their titles.

It was, however, former Pan-American Junior representative Denard Coote who closed the meet on a high when he ran past two other competitors in the last 40 metres to win the event for the MVP men in a hand-timed three minutes 07.1 seconds.

Ainsley Waugh had led off and handed over to Asafa Powell who dropped back to fifth place before rounding three runners over the last 140m to hand over to Markino Buckley on the third leg.

Coote, the former Green Island runner, was in third place up to the 340-m mark where his superior speed took him to the tape first.

Twelve records were broken on the day, two were established while another three marks were beaten but were hand timed due to malfunctioning of the electronic system.

The Michael Dyke-coached Edwin Allen High girls were the biggest winners on the day with six titles including both the featured 4x400m and 4x800m races, both of which offered a prize of $40,000 in addition to points for the Milo Junior Grand Prix Series.

The team of Sharlene Nickle, Nikita Tracey, Makola Josephs and Ristananna Tracey was first in the 4x800m in eight minutes and 55.66 seconds.

Nikita then ran the second leg on the 4x400m team, taking the baton from Shawnette Lewin, handing over to Sashana French before Amoy Blake ran a brilliant anchor to win in a hand-timed three minutes and 40.9 seconds.

Blake had to withstand furious challenges from Manchester High's Natoya Goule (3:41.4) and Holmwood Technical's Jenieve Russell (3:42.1), both of whom made up considerable staggers and were all in contention for the title with under 80 metres to go.

Edwin Allen also won the Sprint Medley Relay Open as well as three of the four 4x100m races -- classes one, two and four.

In the boys 4x400m, Munro College remained unbeaten, but only after McKenzie who earlier in the day broke the long jump record with a best of 7:34m, held off a charging Holmwood Technical in pouring rain to post a new record of three minutes and 14.86 seconds.

The MVP women of Anniesha McLaughlin, Sherone Simpson (making her season debut), Brigitte Foster-Hylton and former St Jago runner Venicha Baker won their event in a hand-timed three minutes and 37.4 seconds.

Olympic and World Championships individual 400m silver medallist Sherika Williams led off the MVP team that won the women's 4x200m with Stephanie McPherson, Nadia Cunningham and Carrie Russell, running the other legs.

Montego Bay-based TAPS created an upset in the Men's 4x200m Open running a meet record one minute and 20.07 seconds with the team of Devon Lewis, Orlando Hines who was second in the men's 100m, Alex Graham and Davian Clarke who held off Jamalco, UTech and Speed Unit.

The MVP men retained their titles in the 4x100m which had Olympic relay gold medallist Nesta Carter on lead off while Holmwood Technical boys and Kingston College also won two relays.

Petersfield's Class One 4x200m team of Tafari Green, World Youth Championships representative Waynee Hyman, Dean Turner and Omar Samuels won the Class One boys 4x200m their first ever win at he meet.

Bellefield High's Kemoy Campbell ran a hand-timed 8:24.0 to win the 3,000m for the third year, but it was the second time the electronic timing system had malfunctioned while he was winning, the first time two years ago at Catherine Hall.

GC Foster's Tushawna Williams ran a new record four minutes and 41.93 second to win the women's 1,500m while Manchester high's Chanice Porter took the long jump Open with 5.53m.

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Outstanding performances at Milo Western Relays despite rain