Double champions litter Champs

DOUBLE GOLD medallists littered the ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys and Girls’ Championships inside the National Stadium on yesterday’s final day, eventually claimed by Edwin Allen High School and Kingston College (KC).

KC provided a dominant showing. They were expected to win by 40 points but ended on 335 to eclipse Jamaica College (JC), their nearest rival, who ended on 278.

It was much closer among the girls. Hydel seemed to have played possum, their coach Corey Bennett saying he did not expect them to challenge this year.

However, that was far from the truth of yesterday, with the relays determining the eventual winners. Edwin Allen would close the show with 336.50 points to Hydel’s valiant 326.

Interestingly, not all the double winners would come from the eventual champions, with Muschett High School’s Shanoya Douglas stealing the spotlight in the girls’ Class 2 200 metres, prevailing over Edwin Allen’s Theianna-Lee Terrelonge to add to her 400-metre success.

Douglas won in 23.93 seconds, while Terrelonge clocked 24.31 to finish ahead of Hydel High School’s Shemonique Hazle, third in 24.38.

One of the pre-race favourites, Lacovia High School’s Sabrina Dockery, was disqualified for false-starting.

The Hydel duo of Teixiera Johnson and Alliah Baker, along with Wolmer’s Girls’ Natrece East, also had double success, completing 200 victories after wins in the 100s.

Johnson claimed the Class 4 200 gold yesterday, clocking 25.44 to finish ahead of teammate Tyecia McDonald, 25.91, and third-placed Mick- Kayla Gardener of Wolmer’s, 26.11.

Baker was impressive in winning the Class 1 event, clocking 23.89, to finish ahead of Bridgeport High School’s Brittney McCormack, 24.44. Third went to Chevaunna Grant of Titchfield in 24.46.

East retained her 200-metre tile in closing her sprint double. She clocked 24.29 seconds for the win, finishing ahead of Kimberly Wright of Immaculate, second in 24.70, with third going to Hydel’s Sashana Johnson, 24.80.

Wolmer’s Boys’ School’s Mario Ross added the 200-metre title to his 100 victory on day two of the Championships, topping the Class 3 event in 22.21 seconds, as Calabar’s Ched Brown finished second, like he did in the 100, clocking 22.54. Jamaica College’s (JC’s) Oneil Brown was third in 22.73.

IMPRESSIVE WIN

Muschett’s Johan-Ramaldo Smythe scored an impressive win to capture the boys’ Class 2 200 metres in 21.35, finishing ahead of William Knibb’s Jabari Matheson, 21.64. JC’s Malique Dennis ended third in 21.87.

In the boys’ Class 1 200, KC’s Amal Glasgow, 21.22, Wolmer’s Boys’ Gary Card, 21.23, and KC’s Marcinho Rose, 21.24 produced a blanket finish to end in that order.

Led by defending champion Kemarrio Bygrave in Class 1, Jamaica College made it a clean sweep of wins in the 800 metres, clocking 1 minute, 51.75 seconds (1:51.75) to get the better of KC’s Jaquan Coke, who did 1:52.59. Maggotty’s Yoshane Bowen was third in 1:53.02.

Cavel Nooks in Class 3 and Samuel Creary in Class 2, who both had successes in the 1500 metres, also got home first in the 800s.

Nooks clocked a personal best 1:58.25, just missing the record of 1:58.06 done by former JC man Waqar Dacosta in 2007. Nooks’ teammate Camron Williams took second in 2:00.53, while Sydney Pagon’s Luke Plummer was third in 2:02.26.

Creary revived his battle with KC’s Nahashon Ruto, beating him again.

The JC man won the event 1:54.10, with Ruto close at 154.66. St Mary High’s Rasheed Grant ran on strongly for bronze in 1:57.38.

Alikay Reynolds of Alphansus Davis, and Rickeisha Simms of Edwin Allen, enjoyed 800-1500 doubles yesterday as well.

Reynolds’s late kick brought her the Class 3 event in 2:12.77, ahead of Edwin Allen’s Kevongaye Fowler, 2:13.19, with third going to St Mary High’s Dalia Fairweather, 2:13.20.

Simms won in Class 1 in 2:08.56 ahead of Hydel’s Abigail Campbell, second in 2:09.07, with third going to Edwin’s Monique Stewart in 2:10.19.