CALABAR High’s Chad Wright broke the Boys Champs Class 1 discus record early yesterday as the Centenary Celebration of the ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys Athletics Championships got underway at the National Stadium.

Wright, who has played bridesmaid to his more celebrated and accomplished teammate Traves Smikle this season, threw down the gauntlet in the preliminaries, breaking Smikle’s one-year-old meet record of 51.43m when he threw 52.16m to be the top qualifier for this afternoon’s final.

Fourteen throwers made the qualifying standard for the final.

As expected, Wolmer’s Boys’ are the early leaders with 16 points after one final as Kamal Fuller, who was third last year, beat his teammate and defending champion Ramone Bailey by jumping 7.45m on his second to last effort.

Campion College are second with six, with Calabar a point, St Georges College on four and defending champions Kingston College (KC) on three.

KC’s Rayon Walcott, who made the long jump final with a personal best 6.96m, did not take any of his three jumps in the final as he was also taking part in the heptathlon Open and settled for sixth place.

Bailey, who led most of the way, was second with 7.38m, while Campion’s Damon McLean won the bronze with 7.09m, beating Calabar’s Marlon Thompson on the count-back.

Vauxhall High’s Leon Napier leads the Class 3 long jump qualifying with 6.61m going into tomorrow’s final, while Jamaica College’s (JC’s) Edward Clarke is next with 6.23m and Wolmer’s Abraham Robertson third with 6.10m.

Four more finals will be contested today — the pole vault Open, Class 3 high jump, discus Class 1 and the final three events of the Heptathlon Open.

In the discus prelims Wright — who has broken the national record on at least two occasions this year, only to see World Youth Championships bronze medalist Smikle eclipse him later in the meet — passed the latter’s mark of 51.41m but knows the pressure will be on today.

Smikle threw 42.74m to be the third best qualifier behind KC’s Canigga Raynor, 42.85, while teammate Oshane Harris was fourth with 42.71m.

Calabar’s throwing coach Julian Robinson described the preliminaries as “a very productive morning”, telling the Observer the plan was not about records so early, but just making the qualifying mark of 36.50m.

Today, Robinson says, he is expecting both Calabar boys to exceed 58.00m. He said while Champs was “an important meet”, the plan is to medal at World Juniors and to do so they will have to throw over 65m.

The World Juniors will be held this year in Moncton, Canada in mid-July.

Wolmer’s Julian Forte leads what looks to be a wide open Class 1 200m qualifying with 21.08 seconds, but he will have the likes of Manchester High’s Brandon Tomlinson, teammate Dwayne Extol, Petersfield’s Waynee Hyman, Old Harbour High’s Kemar Bailey-Cole, Herbert Morrison’s Tevaskie Lewin and Ricardo Powell of Calabar.

Wolmer’s Odean Skeen’s 21.49 seconds leads the first round qualifiers in the Class 2 200m ahead of Munro College’s Delano Williams, who won his heat by at least 10m, but defending champion Jazeel Murphy cruised past a fast starting Kaneil Harrison to win heat five in a modest 22.54 seconds.

St Jago’s Kevaughn Rattray leads class 3 qualifying with 22.30 seconds followed by the Jamaica College pair of Rohan Walker and Tyler Mason.

KC’s Donohue Williams and JC’s Waquar DaCosta, who are expected to battle out the medals with Holmwood Technical’s Kevin White, all advanced to the semi-finals of the Class 1 800m which is being led by Tacius Golding’s Corey Williams, who ran 1 minute 56.21 seconds.

Four athletes have run under 2:01.0 in the first round of the Class 2 800m led by St Jago’s Stephen Rose 2:00.55, Manchester High’s Oryane Espute, 2:00.62, Petersfield High CARIFTA Games selectee Oshane Turner, 2:00.87, and Foga Road’s Kevon Robinson, 2:00.90.

Titchfield High’s Shavanes Robinson leads Class 3 with 2:07.19 after winning heat two while Calabar’s Norman Pittersgill, 2:08.39, and Trevaughn Thomas of Excelsior High, 2:09.63 were second and third.

Points standing after one final

Wolmer’s Boys’ 16

Campion 6

Calabar 5

St George’s 4

Kingston College 3

Old Harbour 2

Morant Bay 1