Brilliant!
A brilliant 15.86m triple jump by Cornwall College’s Odaine Lewis and a powerful home stretch run by Balaclava High’s Dawnalee Loney highlighted Sunday’s second and final day of the JAAA/LIME CARIFTA Trials at the National Stadium.
Seven western Jamaica-based athletes won their events and are all looking forward to being named on the 80-member Jamaican team for the April 19-21 championships to be held in Martinque.
Cornwall College’s Warren Barrett who is the defending champion in the Under 18 shot put, was second twice in Kingston — in the shot put and discus throw — both times to Ascott High’s Vashon McCarthy, and both should be included.
On Sunday, Lewis who had won the Class 1 triple jump at the COCAA/Gatorade/Hanover Co-op Credit Union Western Champs in a then personal best 14.59m, shocked the stadium when he hopped, skipped and jumped the longest mark ever by a Jamaican high school boy at the National Stadium in the first round.
Lewis who also had a personal best 6.97m in the long jump on Saturday, followed up with a strong series in the triple jump, with two more efforts over 15.00m to beat Jamaica College’s Clayton Brown — 15.77m and Kingston College’s Gavin Gibson — 15.16m.
Loney who upset defending champion Asaine Hall of Petersfield to win the Class 1 girls 400m at Western Champs, produced a devastating stretch run on Sunday, passing three runners over the final 60 metres to get to the line in a new personal best 52.87 seconds, ahead of Vere Technical’s Yanique McNeil — 53.00 seconds and Edwin Allen’s Camira Haughton — 53.01 seconds.
McNeil had come off the final curve well ahead of the field but was caught by the Balaclava runner with less than 10 metres to go.
Rusea’s High’s 14-year-old high jump prodigy Lamara Distin continued her good season by winning the Under 18 event with a 1.73m clearance, beating the defending CARIFTA gold medallist Britny Kerr of Hydel who cleared 1.65m.
Despite posting yet another personal best 17.90m in the Under 18 boys shot put, Barrett lost for the first time this season, as McCarthy who was second to him at CARIFTA last year, won in a personal best 18.05m — both distances well over the current CARIFTA record of 17.46m — with Petersfield’s Sanjay Lawrence taking third with 17.26m.
McCarthy, the defending CARIFTA champion, also won the discus throw with 52.20m while Barrett who had just two legal throws was second with 51.07m.
STETH’s Okeen Williams who fell while leading in the 400m hurdles final at the IAAF World Youth Championships last year, turned the tables on the gold medal winner and teammate Marvin Williams in the Under-20 final, speeding to a 51.79 seconds time on Saturday. Marvin ran 51.84 seconds, as the STETHS boys finished well ahead of Kingston College’s Davian Baker’s 53.59 seconds.
Marvin was also second in the 110m hurdles on Sunday, running 13.78 seconds, beaten by Jamaica College’s Tyler Mason’s 13.46 seconds.
Duran Crooks of Munro was second in the Under-18 boys 400m hurdles in 53.21 seconds behind double winner Jaheel Hyde’s 51.06 seconds.
Orlando Smith who won the silver medal at the CARIFTA Games last year was third in 54.22 seconds.
STETHS’ Jauavney James, who will defend two titles in Martinique, won the Under-18 3000m in 8 minutes 56.97 seconds on Saturday, but then mistimed his finish in the 1500m a day later and lost to Kingston College’s Shane Buchanan, who won in 4 minutes 05.89 seconds to 4 minutes 06.93 seconds.
Junelle Bromfield of STETHS won the Under-18 girls 800m in 2 minutes 10.10 seconds ahead of Vere Technical’s Britnie Dixon.
The CARIFTA Games defending champion then turned the tables in the 1500m, winning in 4 minutes 37.17 seconds to Bromfield’s 4 minutes 40.02 seconds.
CARIFTA Games defending champion Kimone Green was second in the Girls Under-20 400m hurdles, running 59.11 seconds, but was beaten by World Youth Championships finalist Andrenetta Knight of Vere Technical in 58.59 seconds.
Glenford Watson of Petersfield High was second in the Under-20 boys discus throw with a best of 52.03m, beaten by Edwin Allen’s Demar Gayle; Chantai Smith of STETHS was second in the Under-20 800m, while Alethia McLaughlin was also second in the Under-20 girls’ 3000m; Sahjay Stevens of STETHS won the Under-18 javelin with 31.38m.