Strong signals from the West at Gibson Relays
MONTEGO BAY, St James — Western high schools showed their readiness for the 2011 ISSA GraceKennedy Boys and Girls Champs later this month by winning four relays and an individual event at Saturday’s 35th staging of the Gibson Relays at the National Stadium in Kingston.
Munro College and St Elizabeth Technical lived up to their top billings by winning the high school boys 4x400m and Class One 4x100m respectively while Herbert Morrison Technical won two 4x200m relays.
Additionally Herbert Morrison schoolboy Oriel Skeel won the men’s 400m Open in 48.17 seconds as the majority of the top senior runners stayed away from the meet.
Devon Lewis of TAPS was second in 48.42 seconds while double IAAF World Junior 100m gold medalist Dexter lee who was running competitively for the first time this season finished further down the track.
After running 3 minute 14 seconds plus earlier this year, Munro College brought the event to a grand climax by winning the Mile Relay in a dominating performance, clocking 3 minutes 12.77 seconds – the best time by a high school team this year.
Turks and Caicos national 200m record holder Delano Williams opened with a 47.2 seconds leg handing over to Milo Western Champs 400m Class 1 champion Waynee Hyman whose 47.79 split opened a gap of more than 50 metres before handing over to hurdler Patrick Campbell, while Nigerian-born Ifeanyi Otuanyie anchored.
Earlier the STETHS quartet of Ronell Deer, Andrew Fisher, Kimarley Brown and Chadick Hines blew away a quality field to win the Class 1 sprint relays in 40.37 seconds to add to titles they won at Milo Western Relays and Western Champs earlier this year.
The Herbert Morrison girls team of Daniella Kerr, Tovia Jenkins, Teja Christie and Ramona Burchell ran 1:39.45 seconds to retain their 4x200m title while their Class 1 boys ran 1 26.07 seconds to win their event as well.
The boys’ team was Christopher Gordon, Clayton Coles, Everton Clarke and Tevaskie Lewin on anchor.
Herbert Morrison’s anchor leg runner Seidatha Palmer was locked in a battle with Holmwood Technical and Edwin Allen when she fell 10 metres from the finish line in the Girls Class One 4×100.
In the field events STETHS Leron Williams was third in the men’s long jump with a best mark of 7.18m while his team mate Peter-Gay Reid was third in the Women’s high jump with 1.75m.
