Once again, ‘Gibson’ whets the appetite
A number of scintillating 4x400m races brought the 37th Gibson Relays to a glorious close at the National Stadium on Saturday night.
The Vere Technical girls cruised to a new record 3:33.34 to win their event, while Edino Steel held off double Olympic silver medallist Yohan Blake in an upset in the men’s clubs Mile Relay for a new record 3:03.74.
It was, however, a gallant sub-45.00 seconds anchor leg run from Munro College’s Delano Williams to take his team from some 45 metres behind defending champions Manchester High in the final event of the day — the 4X400-metre final — that many will be talking about long after the meet.
Williams, who will be defending his Class One 100m/200m double at Champs next weekend, got the packed Grandstand to its feet when he caught the Manchester High anchor-leg runner at about the 200-m mark and powered past him to the line.
Angelo Garland, 800/1,500m runner Herbert Thomas and Kaneil Harrison had run the first three legs and put Williams in a position to launch his epic chase as they clocked 3:11.45 to Manchester’s 3:2.34, with Wolmer’s Boys third in 3:15.82.
Yanique McNeil, Olivia James, Andrenette Knight, and Shericka Jackson rewrote the record books with new time of 3:33.34, erasing the old mark of 3:35.68 set by Holmwood Technical in 2006. Edwin Allen High were second in 3:36.67 and Holmwood third in 3:43.05.
Steel, who got the baton just ahead of Blake, held off the IAAF World Championships 100m champion as the Racers TC team upset their more fancied training partners Racers Lions to win in a new record time of 3:03.74 to 3:04.00.
The winning team was Allodin Fothergill, Riker Hylton, Pete Mathews, and Steel, while the Lions squad was made up of Dwight Mullings, Demar Murray, who anchored the team earlier in the heats; Warren Weir, who came in for Usain Bolt; and Blake as Darrien Bent who ran in the morning was also replaced.
The University of Technology women won their event in 3:32.19 ahead of Racers TC (3:33.22) and Sprint Tech was third.
After their historic win in the Class One boys 4x100m, Green Island High returned to take the 4x200m as well with the team of Chadwayne Vidal, Odail Todd, Neeno Symester, and Gremiko Whitelock winning in 1:25.74 ahead of Holmwood Technical and Garvey Maceo.
St Jago won Class Two ahead of Munro College and Wolmer’s Boys; Kingston College won Class Three, beating St Jago and Munro, while Wolmers were the victors in Class Four ahead of St Jago and Jamaica College.
St Jago won the girls Open, beating Wolmer’s Girls and Holmwood Technical.
Kingston College won the high school boys 4x800m in 7:46.06, beating Calabar to the line while Holmwood were further back for third.
Edwin Allen, who appeared to have rested most of their top athletes, retained the high school girls’ 4x800m, beating Holmwood and Vere Technical.
