Holmwood, St Jago lead Central Champs first day

Defending champions Holmwood Technical High School’s girls and St Jago’s boys are the early leaders following yesterday’s first day of the Central Athletics Championships at GC Foster College of Physical Education and Sports.

After 19 of 45 finals, Holmwood sit on 169 points, just ahead of defending champions Edwin Allen on 157, with Vere Technical third on 88.

On the male side, St Jago lead with 131 points after 19 of 40 finals. They are followed by Edwin Allen on 94 and Clarendon College on 61.

Yesterday’s action was highlighted by four meet records — two in the field and two on the track.

The first record came in the Class 2 Boys’ High Jump where Nikardo Johnson of St Jago cleared 1.90 metres for the win. His teammate, Cajay Burnett, finished second with 1.75m, the same height cleared by Ackeem Freeman of Manchester High for third.

Omarion Chanteloupe of Clarendon College produced the second record of the day, winning the Boys’ Class 3 Long Jump with 6.24 metres. He finished ahead of Dantuan Goode of St Catherine High, second with 5.75m, the same mark achieved by third-place finisher Andrew Warren of Ocho Rios High.

Two records came late in the afternoon in the 400m through Annastacia Hall, formerly of St Jago now running for Holmwood, and Rayvon Black of Clarendon College.

Hall captured the Girls’ Class 2 400m in 54.43 seconds as Holmwood secured a quinella with Maddison Campbell second in 55.62 and Shannaty Burke of Ferncourt third in 56.29.

Clarendon College’s Rayvon Black picked up the other record on the track. Competing in the penultimate event of the day, the Boys’ Class 2 400m, the former Denbigh High athlete raced to victory in 48.62, finishing ahead of Joshua Fenton of Hydel, second in 50.45.

Jhaidon Mickoi Williams of St Jago was a double winner, capturing the Boys’ Class 2 shot put and discus. He first won the shot put with 14.25m then returned to take the discus with 49.07m, relegating Denbigh High’s Carlton White (39.93m) and Marquis Ledgister (37.38m) to second and third.

On a day when athletes had to endure strong headwinds that affected times in the 100m, Clarendon College’s Rhaeim Allyson, running into a negative wind of 4.6 metres per second, captured the Boys’ Class 1 100m in 10.88s, getting the better of Edwin Allen’s Romario Finnegan (10.98) and Ken Rick Martin (11.09) for second and third.

Today’s second and final day of action is set to get under way at 8:30 a.m. with the Girls’ Open 3000m while the Boys’ Open 4x400m relay will close the meet at 5:30 p.m.