Much was promised, and the 2014 ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys’ and Girls’ Athletics Championships fulfilled each wish as another stellar event was delivered from start to finish. Calabar High and Edwin Allen High were the schools from both sides celebrating at the end of Champs’ final day, March 29th. It was another championship of intense, high-octane competition fuelled by inter-school rivalries, particularly on the last two days. Overall, 23 records were broken.

On the boys side, from which 14 records went, the most impressive displays during the five-day event spectacle came from the favourites. Zharnel Hughes is an Anguillan native but might have run into the hearts of many Jamaicans and certainly into the record books, when he lowered Yohan Blake’s six-year record of 10.21 to 10.12 seconds in the Class One 100-metre final on Friday night. He had the man from Bog Walk, Jevaughn Minzie, for company up to the finish line as he also ran under the old record and a personal best in 10.17 seconds. Javon “Donkey Man” Francis shattered Usain Bolt’s record to run 45 seconds, just barely missing out on being the first schoolboy to run under 45 seconds. Wolmer’s wonder kid Jaheel Hyde broke Omar McLeod’s 400m hurdles record to run 49.48 seconds, while Christoff Bryan raised his own Class One Boys High Jump record to 2.23 metres this year after already brushing aside competition at 2.16m. Raheem Chambers of St Jago also lived up to the hype to stop the clock at 10.29 seconds in his Class Two 100m, easily breaking the record. However, Jhevaughn Matherson became only the second Class Two boy to run under 21 seconds when he won the 200m, turning the tables on Chambers who had relegated him to second in his 100m success.

On the girl’s side nine records were broken, just two down from the 11 last year.

Rochelle Frazer of Edwin Allen certainly did not disappoint as she stepped up to Class One and instantly broke the Shot Put record by throwing 13.70m to register records in consecutive years at Champs. St Jago was not to be kept from breaking records though, young Mellica Gordon ran superbly to lower the 70m hurdles Class Four record to 10.49 seconds. Hydel also made their presence felt this year with improved performances, one of them being Shiann Salmon who jumped 1.78 meters for a new record in the Class Three High Jump. In another great race in the 100m Class One event, Christannia Williams of Edwin Allen clocked an impressive 11.19 seconds to conquer a field including Monique Spencer and Jonielle Smith — who took the 200m. In another big event on the girls side — the Class One 100m hurdles — Peta-Gay Williams defeated World Youth champion Yanique Thompson in what might be termed an upset. Thompson held the lead before crashing into a couple hurdles to hand Williams gold in 13.81 seconds.

In the relays, Edwin Allen’s Class One 4x100m team rewrote the books with a 44.17 clocking to break a 10-year old record. On the boys side Calabar High ran the fastest high school sprint relay race of all time in clocking a superb 39.55 seconds to break a Yohan Blake-led St Jago record of 39.78 seconds. Calabar’s Class Three team ran a blistering 41.81 seconds to shatter KC’s one-year-old record. Hydel continued to punch above their weight in breaking their own Class Three 4×100 record from last year with 45.33 seconds while St Jago’s girls broke a two-year Class Four record to finish in front of Immaculate in 47.28 seconds, down from 47.48. Kingston College also broke a 24-year sprint medley record when Miguel Morrison held off Calabar’s anchor to maintain the school’s hold on the event. In the final event, the 4x400m, World Youth champion Martin Manley led St. Jago with an outstanding anchor leg run to break Munro’s record from last year in clocking 3:08:31, beating Wolmer’s and STETHS. Marleena Eubanks, in her final year, also won her school the girl’s race in 3:35:70.

In the end, it was not even close. Calabar ended on 305 points to lift the Mortimer Geddes trophy for the 24th time, ahead of KC’s — 208.5 points and JC’s — 190 points. On the girls side, Edwin Allen High school amassed 337.5 points, way ahead of their closest challengers St Jago and steady improvers Hydel on 263 and 229 points, respectively. Defending champions Holmwood could only manage fourth.