JC wins Championships of Americas 4x800m title
PHILADELPHIA, United States — A courageous anchor leg run from Kemarrio Bygrave led Jamaica College to a close win in the Championship of Americas high school boys’ 4x800m relay on Saturday’s final day of the 128th Penn Relays Carnival at Franklin Field in Philadelphia, running 7:42.37 seconds.
Nellie Ambitron, Samuel Creary, Rasheed Pryce and Bygrave made up the Jamaica College team that won their second title in three years.
Getting the baton in third place, the ISSA Class 1 and Carifta Under 20 champion, methodically stalked the two teams ahead of him and eventually passed St John’s College of the District of Columbia with just over 100 metres to go and then caught the anchor leg runner from the front running Christian Brothers of Tennessee with about 20 metres to go before blowing past him to win.
This was Jamaica College’s second win and first since 2022 after they were disqualified in 2023 for using an ineligible runner in the preliminaries.
Bygrave told Observer Online after the race, “this was redemption, we came for what is ours”.
Kingston College finished sixth in 7:49.65 seconds with the team of Schevorn Wardlow, Jaquan Coke, Nahashon Ruto and Brian Kiprop.
— Paul A Reid