KC's Tarik Batchelor leaps a record 7.60 metres to win the Class One long jump at the National Stadium yesterday. (Photo: Bryan Cummings)

Kingston College lead the Boys' section with 13 points after one final following yesterday's first day of the GraceKennedy/ISSA Boys' and Girls' Athletic Championships at the National Stadium.

There was a lone record in the heats of the Class 1 4x100m as St Jago clocked a swift 39.78secs to erase their one-year-old mark of 39.80secs, with Yohan Blake on anchor. KC finished down the line in their heat and have been eliminated.

Wolmer's are second with 11 points, followed by Morant Bay seven, Jamaica College three and St Jago two for the top five. Defending champions and favourites Calabar are yet to score a point.

Yesterday was not without incident as proceedings were delayed for an hour-and-a-half due to a protest by coaches who were denied access to the bleachers to watch their athletes. The matter was satisfactorily resolved.

Tarik Batchelor, who will be taking up a full scholarship at the University of Arkansas this summer, leaped 7.60 metres to win the Class One long jump.

Batchelor's teammate, Kemardo Tyrell, took fifth to take KC's points tally to 13. The medals were completed by Morant Bay's Dean Swimmer (7.27m) and Akeem Elliott of Wolmer's (7.10m).

Four finals will be completed today - the Class One Boys discus, the Class 3 high jump, the pole vault Open and the Heptathlon.

Kevin Bradford of St Jago produced 44.38 metres to top the qualifiers in the Class One discus yesterday. Noel Facey of Calabar heaved 44.32m and JC's Shane Dodd, 43.63m.
After four events in the seven-event Heptathlon, title-holder Andrew Riley Riley of Calabar leads with 3,216 points, followed by Kamal Fuller of Wolmer's (2870).

Riley, the 2007 Carifta silver medallist, clocked 14.30secs to win 110 hurdles; cleared 2.05m to top the high jump; threw 12.06m for third in the shot and clocked 22.64secs to win the 200m.

The event will be decided with the completion of the long jump, discus and 1,500m events.
Spectators got a preview of arguably the race of the championships in the heats of the Class One 200 metres.
World Youth champion, Ramone McKenzie of Calabar; World Junior 100m star, Yohan Blake and his teammate Nickel Ashmead; World Youth 100m gold medallist, Dexter Lee of Herbert Morrison, and JC's Winston Barnes all comfortably won their heats to move into Saturday's semi-finals.

Running into a strong head wind (-4.6p/s) Barnes clocked 21.53secs to enter the semi-finals with the fastest time. Lee is next with 21.61 (-.3p/s), followed by favourite McKenzie, who cruised 21.74 (-2.7p/s). Teivaskie Lewin of Herbert Morriosn (22.09) and Jazeel Murphy of Bridgeport (22.96) are the fastest qualifiers in classes two and three, respectively.

Two-time defending champion, Theon O'Connor of Campion College, enters today's Class One Boys 800m semi-finals with an easy 1:56.37secs to win heat four in the preliminary round.

Andre Moodie of Frome (1:56.63), last year's runner-up, Andre Thomas of Calabar (1:56.81), and JC's Bengallo Morrison (1:56.83) are the other top qualifiers.

Javere Bell of Seaforth (2:00.10) and St Jago's Stephen Rose (2:08.56) enter the classes two and three semis as the fastest qualifiers.

Calabar and JC suffered setbacks in the heats of the 400m hurdles. Raymond Cousely of Calabar misses Friday's final after crashing out prior to the second barrier, while 2007 seventh-placed finisher, Ramon Cooper, also crashed out after clearing the first hurdle.

Meanwhile, Ryker Hylton of St Jago, who failed to finish in last year's final, enters the decider with the second fastest time of 53.89secs. Nicholas Maitland (53.79secs) of St Elizabeth Tech has the best time heading into the final.

The major contenders all progressed to Saturday's final of the sprint relays following the preliminary rounds.

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