Records galore at Wesley Powell Invitational
BY PAUL A REID
Observer writer
CORNWALL College’s CARIFTA Games Under-17 champion Warren Barrett, Jamaica’s College’s Maleik Smith and the Camperdown High boys 4x300m relay team were among the 13 record breakers at Saturday’s seventh staging of the Wesley Powell Invitational over distance track meet at Excelsior High School.
Over 1,200 athletes from 42 schools and clubs took part in the event that was a qualifier for the ISSA Boys’ and Girls’ Championships that will be held in March 2014.
The pole vault Open for boys as well as the 1,000m for Class Three girls were being contested for the first time.
Barrett smashed the boys’ Class Two shot put record by more than two metres with an impressive season opener of 16.55m, more than a metre ahead of second-placed Kyle Mitchell of Wolmer’s Boys, who finished with 15.39m after leading from the first round and was also over last year’s record of 14.3m set by Jamaica College’s Karl Leon Grant, while St George’s College’s Daniel Walker was third with 14.12m.
Jamaica College, swept the Class One boys event with Jason Stephenson (16.80m), Shamar Kitson (16.00m) and Grant (15.69m).
Jamaica College’s Smith ran 1:28.99 seconds to win the Class Two boys 600m, beating Wolmers’ Jovan Brown (1:29.84) seconds with Craig Hyde of Wolmer’s Boys’ third in 1:30.03 seconds taking the bronze, all running in the first heat.
The Jamaica College pair of Christoph Mitchell and Akiem Kerr were first and second in the pole vault with clearances of 3.60m and 3.40m with Excelsior High’s Nickoy Morrison third also with 3.40m.
St Jago High Champs 2013 triple gold medallist Kimone Shaw won the Class Three girls’ 150m with the fastest time of the day, 18.97 seconds to beat Fair Prospect’s Tiana Campbell (19.62 seconds) in the first heat, while St Catherine High’s AnnaKay Allen who won heat three with 19.78 seconds took the bronze.
Vere Technical’s Rene Medley won the Class One 150m with 19.43 seconds beating Hydel High’s Shakera Ragnatt (19.46 seconds) with another Vere Technical runner Kadesha Adams taking third with 19.80 seconds.
Charlemont High School’s Shandou Bryan won the Class One boys’ 150m with 17.37 seconds running in the fourth heat with Wolmer’s Boys’ Javoy Tucker and Shamar Morrison of Jamaica College, who were first and second, respectively, in heat six took the silver and bronze.
St Jago High runners swept the top three places in the Class One girls’ 1,000m with Monique McPherson winning with a time of 3:09.91 ahead of Roshae Burrell (3:13.86) and Ophia Simmonds (3:16.77).
The javelin Open events went to Wolmer’s Boys’ Shaune Blake with 47.36m, done on his first attempt, beating Excelsior High’s Champs decathlon silver medallist Maurice Harrison and Hydel School’s Shandayle Shaw, while Excelsior’s Nayoka Clunis won the girls’ Open with 31.91m, ahead of Shereese Silvera of St Hugh’s (27.42m) and Gabrielle Bailey of St Andrew High (27.12m).
The St George’s College pair of Romario Gordon and Ozazi Gordon were first and second in the Class Two boys’ high jump, both clearing 1.70m with Cornwall College’s Kobe Rhoomes third with 1.60m.
