#Champs2026: JC’s Edwards leads Class 1 long jump qualifying
KINGSTON, Jamaica — Jamaica College’s Michael Andre Edwards, the defending champion, was the only athlete to make the automatic qualifying mark in the preliminaries of the Class 1 boys long jump on Tuesday’s opening day of the ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys and Girls Athletics Championships at the National Stadium.
Edwards, who won the Class 1 long/triple jump double last year, needed just one jump to get to 7.53m (1.9m/s) well over the automatic qualifying mark of 7.05m.
Last year’s Class 2 medalist Amani Phillips of Kingston College was the next best with 7.04m (0.6m/s) with Jamaica College’s Jaivar Cato jumping 6.94m (0.0m/s).
Kemar James of St Jago High recovered from a slow start to qualify for the final with a wind aided 6.91m (2.3m/s) with Calabar High’s Shevaughn Pryce and St Elizabeth Technical’s Santino Distin and Rodeeki Walters also making progress.
— Paul A Reid
