She came, she saw and Hydel High’s Zavien Bernar conquered her more experienced rival to win the girls’ Class three high jump final on Thursday’s third day of the Inter-secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA)/GraceKennedy Boys’ and Girls’ Athletics Championships at the National Stadium.

Bernar, last year’s class four high jump winner, was competing in the higher class for the first time, and much like she did when she took the Central Champs top honours, she added the Class three gold medal to her accolades.

The 13-year-old comfortably soared to new heights, clearing the bar at 1.77m on just one go. She won ahead of favourite Asia McKay of Edwin Allen High, who cleared at 1.71m and Aaliyah Williams (1.68m) of Rhodes Hall.

“I actually feel great because I have been training for this, the coaches and teammates really wanted this so I just gave it to them,” Bernar told the Jamaica Observer shortly after the win.

“This is basically the ultimate achievement because my season has been going great; each time I compete I improved and so I definitely expected this to happen,” she added.

The budding jumper ambitiously took a swipe at Shantae Foreman’s record of 1.80m set in 2018, but failed to clear the bar on her three attempts at 1.81m.

Still, Bernar isn’t perturbed, knowing very well she has a chance to make that jump next year.

“It was an ambitious move [and] I just wanted to test myself to see where I really was, so I am not too disappointed because I have another year in Class three so I just relaxed. I will go back top training and work on my technique to hopefully get it next year,” Bernar declared.

There was also an upset in the girls’ Class four long jump final in which Immaculate’s Ashley Barret proved some experts wrong.

Barret, who was never in the conversation where medals were concerned, left it late, as she cut the sand at the winning mark of 5.25m in a -0.5 metres per second reading, on her very last attempt.

St Mary’s Sackoya Palmer, one of the predicted favourites, had to settle for silver with a mark of 5.22m, while Arrian Nelson (4.89m) of Hydel was third.

As expected, St Jago’s Jade-Ann Dawkins topped the girls’ Class two long jump after cutting the sand at 6.12m, ahead of Rohanna Sudlow (5.90m) of St Catherine and Edwin Allen’s Deijanae Bruce (5.75m).

After finishing fifth last year, Edwin Allen’s Sheniela Willams successfully redeemed herself as she justified favouritism in the girls’ Javelin Open.

The Central champion, who has been in good knick all season, launched the instrument to 42.40m to secure nine big points for her school.

She won ahead of Natassia Burrell (41.82m) of Hydel and Immaculate’s Zoelle Jamel (39.70m). Sherika Christie, also of Hydel, was expected to finish in the medals but fell woefully short with a best throw of 39.07m.