Key clashes at Champs ’24

IN ANY championships there are certain key clashes that fans always look forward to, and it will be no different at this year’s ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys and Girls’ Athletics Championships.

We look at 10 of these likely clashes – five boys and five girls.

BOYS

Class One 110m hurdles

Calabar High’s Shaquane Gordon, last year’s Class Two champion, will be hoping to bring that good form into his first year in the senior class, where he is the leader with 13.32 seconds.

He will, however, have to contend with the Excelsior High duo of Daniel Wright and Richard Hall, who were fourth and seventh in the event last year. Wright has a season’s best of 13.35, and Hall’s best is 13.44.

Class One 1500m

It could be double wins at the meet for either Kingston College’s Ethan Gioko or Jamaica College’s Kemarrio Bygrave, who are expected to win the 5000 metres open and the Class One 800m.

Both will be involved in a contest that could be very crucial to the outcome of the championships. Gioko is the leader here with 4:004.8, but a resolute and determined Bygrave whose season’s best is 4:01.58 could go all the way in what is expected to be a very close finish between the two.

Class Two 200m

Mushett High’s Johan Ramaldo Smythe is in the form of his life in the half-lap event . With a wind-aided 20.97 seconds in winning the event at the Western Championships, he proved at the Carifta Trials among Class One athletes that he is still in great form when he was second to Wolmer’s Boys’ Gary Card in the under-20 event in 21.19.

However, he will be up against a very plucky Nickecoy Bramwell of Calabar, who will be motivated after his expected win in the 400m. With his season’s best of 21.45s done at the Corporate Area meet, Bramwell has the pedigree to go all the way and could deny Smythe in his pet event.

Class One high jump

Both Chavez Penn of Jamaica College and Jevontae Grant of Calabar have cleared 2.05 metres in the event this season, and any number can play in this event.

Class One long jump

Fans could witness two athletes going over the 7.00m barrier in this event as Calabar’s Antonio Anderson and Jamaica College’s Michael Andre Edwards will be in a gigantic clash here. Anderson is the leader going 6.94m very early at the Tyser Mills Classics in December while Edwards did his season’s best of 6.93m at the Pure Water/JC/ R. Danny Williams meet.

GIRLS

Class One 800m

Edwin Allen High’s Monique Stewart and Kitania Headley of St Catherine High will have a big clash in this event. At the recent Carifta Trials, both went sub-2:09 in the two-lap event. Stewart clocked 2:08.86 for the win to just hold off Headley, second in 2:08.99. With the likes of Edwin Allen’s Rickeisha Simms and Carlene Temple of Alphansus Davis High expected to add some ‘fire’ here, this one will go down to the wire.

Class Two 100m

The outstanding Theinna -Lee Terrelonge of Edwin Allen will be hoping for a sprint double at the meet. While she is a cinch for the 100 metres, her task to win the 200 metres will be very difficult as she will come up against Muschett’s Shanoya Douglas.

Douglas, who clocked a wind-aided 22.85 seconds (plus 2.1mps)to win the under-20 half-lap event at the Carifta Trials is bang in form. Despite only competing once in the 200m this season ,where she has a best of 23.75, Terrelonge cannot be ruled out in what is expected to be a big battle between the two.

Class One 400m

Former Ferncourt High school 400m runner Abigail Campbell is in prime form for her new team Hydel High. She is the leader in the event after her win at the Carifta Trials in 52.84 seconds. Campbell will, however, have Tony-Ann Beckford of Edwin Allen to contend with.

Beckford has a season’s best of 53.71 and is ranked third in the event but she is expected to bring her experience to the fore. She clocked a personal best of 52.88 to finish fourth in the final a year ago.

Class Two 100m hurdles

Defending champion Jodyann Daley of Hydel is back in the event, but she could be out of the top three in what is expected to be a thriller.

Class Three 80m hurdles champion Tiana Marshall of Wolmer’s Girls will be hoping for success in her first attempt in Classs Two, where she has a season’s and personal best of 13.20 seconds.

Marshall will have the St Jago duo of Bryanna Davidson and Brianna Campbell to contend with. Campbell was fourth in the final last year, but she is bang in form following her run at the Carifta Trials. She raced to an impressive second-place finish in the under-20 event in a personal best 13.14 behind the outstanding Habiba Harris of St Elizabeth Technical.

Davidson has a season’s best of 13.32, and the winner could be the athlete who makes the least mistakes over the barriers.

Triple jump open

Richelle Stanley of St Elizabeth Technical and Jade Ann Dawkins of St Jago look well set for special performances in what is expected to be the most competitive girls’ field event at the championships.

Stanley, who was third in last year’s final, is the event leader with a wind-aided 12.88m (plus 3.3 metres per second). Dawkins is the defending champion. She won last year with 13.02m, and despite second best so far this season with 12.82m, she will want to retain her title, and a very close contest is expected.