St Andrew lead in Sagicor/JTA athletics meet
DEFENDING champions St Andrew, with a combined score of 88 points, have taken the early lead in the two-day Sagicor/JTA National All-Island Primary, All-Age and Junior High athletics championships at the National Stadium yesterday.
Second were Kingston with 46 points, followed by Portland 46, St Elizabeth 42, St Catherine 32, St Thomas 22, St Mary 22, Westmoreland 22, Manchester 18, Clarendon 15 and St James 13 points.
Two records were broken yesterday, as Althea Russell of St Andrew threw 9.74 metres to erase the old mark of 9.65m set by Ornella Newby of St Andrew in 2005.
The other record to go was in the long jump Open for girls with Ranique Gray of St Andrew leaping 5.38 metres to break the previous best of 5.25m set in 1990 by Angella Seal of St Elizabeth. Ayesha Champanie of St Andrew equaled the old mark of 5.25 metres.
Kyle Walker of St Andrew captured the Boys shot put Open with a throw of 12.50 metres. Sharlanjo Nelson of Kingston won the Boys long jump Open final with a distance of 5.74 metres.
Renae Bradley of St Andrew won the Girls high jump Open with a leap of 1.56 metres. Robert Thomas of Manchester was the winner of the Boys 1500 metres Open with 4:28.69, while the Girls 1500 metres Open was won by Monifa Green of Kingston in 5:11.24.
The Under-Nine boys cricket ball throw was won by Lamario Nesbett of St James with 37.0 metres, while the Girls Under-Nine event was won by Jessica Preston of St Thomas with 30.54 metres.
With 41 finals scheduled to be contested today, St Andrew are in a very good position to chalk up their 16th triumph.
Javar Mitchelle of St Ann has the fastest time of 11.64 seconds coming into today’s Boys Under-17 100 metres final.
However, he could be hard-pressed to win the gold by Emroy Josephs of Westmoreland, 11.73, Randy Gordon of Portland, 11.74, George Smith of Manchester, 11.74, and Brandon Sewell of Kingston, 11.78.
The Girls Under-17 100 metres final should also be a closely contested race between Sasha Wright of Portland, 12.98 seconds, and Raquel Ricketts of St Andrew, 12.99. Both ran in the same heat.
