KINGSTON College’s Sanj Powell smashed the 2000m Steeplechase Open record and his teammates Keneil Grant and Clive Pullen swept the Class I long jump final propelling the famed purples to 27 points after two finals.

KC took their early customary spot atop the GraceKennedy ISSA Boys and Girls Athletics Championships with 27 points after first and second in the long jump and first and seventh in the gruelling steeplechase.

KC are 15 points ahead of defending champion Jamaica College (JC) with 12 points, St Jago on 11 and Calabar High with seven points.

While the top two finish in the long jump was expected, KC upset the applecart with Powell dismantling the field in 6:00.12 minutes, well inside the mark set only Tuesday night by Rodney Henry of Spaulding who did 6:04.61.

Despite having the fastest time of 6:03.1 this season, Powell was touted to finished behind Henry, the St Jago pair of Sanjer Pantry and Roshawn Johnson and JC’s Bejaun Jones.

In the end, Powell in a well-timed race, sprinted away from the front running Jones in second with 6:03.67, also below the previous mark with the St Jago duo of Pantry and Jackson in third and fourth with 6:07.54 and 6:09.21 minutes respectively.

KC took first and second and 16 points in the Class I long jump final courtesy of Keneil Grant and Clive Pullen.

Grant won with a leap of 7.27m with Pullen second with 7.15m. Calabar’s Javari Fairclough third with 7.09m.  

In the 10-event Decathlon which offer 12 points for a win, after five events, KC’s Darron Hunter surged to the lead with 3,553 points on the back of two brilliant high jump and 400m performances.

Hunter is ahead of Alton Palmer of Buff Bay High with 3,440 and St Jago’s Waquar Larrington on 3,397 points and JC’s Andre McFarlene with 3,296.

Early leader Adrian Riley of Calabar apparently had cramps and jogged home in the 400m in 1:14.26 minutes and picked up only 62 points and fell from first to eighth place.

Meanwhile there were no major casualties in the preliminaries heats as the top schools positioned themselves.

JC’s Waquar DaCosta led all qualifiers in the Class I 800m with a time of 1:56.18 seconds ahead of Oryane Espuet of Manchester High with 1:57.01.

The KC pair of Carifta trials winner Alex Saunders and Sanj Powell are through with times of 1:57.64 and 1:58.94 respectively.

Kevin Robinson of Foga Road High with 1:58.93 and Vere Technical’s Wesley Gaynor in 1:57.06, Michael Stone of St Jago in 1:57.16 are through with good times. Of note, no athlete from Calabar High was even entered for the event.      

In Class II, KC’s Miguel Morrison was the quickest through with 1:58.77 ahead of Ricardo McKenzie of Cornwall College in 1:59.72. Race favourites Chad Miller of KC with 2:01.23 and Calabar’s Orville Dixon with 2:00.08 were also safely through.

St Elizabeth Technical’s Jevaughney James was the fastest qualifier in Class III in 2:07.49 ahead of Munro College’s Rajiv Lewis in 2:08.98 with KC’s Jean-Marc Smith third quickest in 2:09.24.

In the 200m, World Olympic Youth 100m champion Odeen Skeene of Wolmer’s Boys, apparently seemed to have overcome his injury with a smooth and effortless 21.23 seconds.

Green Island High’s Odail Todd, the 100m World Youth champion, cruised home in 21.33. Delano Williams of Munroe won his heat in 21.65. KC’s Travane Thompson also looked easy in 21.46 as did JeVaughn Minzie of Bog Walk with 21.49 seconds.

Calabar’s Gawayne Porter was the fastest in Class III with 23.12 ahead of Dinthill’s Damane Dixon 23.15 and Wolmer’s Dajour Wilson in 23.19.

Race favourite Jhevaughn Matherson of KC clocked 23.71.

                                                                         The green and black-clad bearers from Red Hill Road showed their strength in the Class I discus courtesy Fedrick Ashinia Miller and Fedrick Dacres.

Last year’s runner-up Dacres threw 47.84m while Miller hurled 47.10m. Munro College’s Jevaughn Shaw had the best throw of 48.68m of the 17 qualifiers.

In the Boys 400m hurdles Open, JC gained the upperhand on their rivals as both their runners reached the final compared to one from CBar and none from KC.

JC’s Kyle Robinson and Javarn Gallimore with 52.97 and 53.41 qualified with the fifth and sixth fastest times. Calabar’s Javon Francis was the last qualifier with 54.03.

Omar McCleod of Manchester heads the finalists with 51.90 ahead of the St Elizabeth duo of Jamie Demns and Ronald Levy in 51.99 and 52.16 seconds respectively.

KC’s 110 hurdles champion Stefan Fennell tried his luck in the longer hurdles event and finished third in his heat with 55.22 and failed to advance. His teammate Divonte Dennis who was expected to garner points in the event barely finished the race.