Another absolutely sensational Issa/Grace Kennedy Boys and Girls’ Athletics Championships have come to an end. Calabar was expected to come out on top, ahead of KC, but not by so many points. Their dominance was exceptional for their 7th straight title.
Final Standings for the Boys:
Edwin Allen executed their races well for the Girls to come away on top for the 6th straight time ahead of Holmwood Technical.
Final Standings for the Girls:
There were so many great Champs Moments, but here are Suga’s Highlights:
â— Sportsmanship
Great Sportsmanship was shown between Great rivals, Tyreke Wilson of Calabar and KC’s Jhevaughn Matherson as they crossed the line in the Class 1 Boys 100m Semi-Final. This is what Champs is all about!
â— Class 3 Boys 100m Sweet 16 Victory by KCÂ
KC’s Bouwahjgie Nkrumie (1st) and Adrian Kerr (2nd) both smashed the record of Jhevaughn Matherson in 10.79s and 10.81s respectively.
Everyone has been asking if Nkrumie is also an import, but word has it that he has been going to school in Jamaica since Prep School. He speaks like a Jamaican as well.
â— Class 2 Girls 100m and 200m shines spotlight on our future Star in the Sprints
The young lady called the Princess of sprinting amongst High schoolers, Kevona Davis of Edwin Allen, broke her own record that was set in the semifinals in 11.16s! Last year she false started and she has certainly come back with a vengeance. She is only hundredths of a second off from VCB’s Junior record time of 11.12s. I observed that she comes out of her drive phase quite quickly, so can you imagine when her form is improved?!
Her compatriot, Kasheika Cameron clocked 11.29 to win the 100m for the Class 1 Girls. This was a clear indication of the powerhouse, Kevona is.
The following day, she broke her own 200m semifinal record as well, to win in 22.72s.
â— Class 2 Boys 100m
Sachin Dennis of STETHS had a magnificent run, breaking the record in 10.20s!
â— Drama for the Class 1 Boys 100m
Calabar’s Michael Stephens, Defending Champ of the event started to feel cramps before the start of the race. He received a bit of Physio treatment before the race and was even on the phone. He was seen crying with his teammate and one of the favourites to win, Tyreke Wilson, but surprisingly still headed to the start line for the race.
Everyone was at that point thinking that KC’s Jhevaughn Matherson, the other favourite would have been undisturbed by the drama and thus have the advantage. He would be seeking redemption after false starting last year, allegedly because he was injured. But not only did Michael Stephens run out fast and pull up mid-race, so did Matherson of KC! This left Calabar’s Tyreke Wilson with a clear victory and PB of 10.21s ahead of JC’s Ryiem Robertson who finished in 10.28s.
A post Champs interview with the Assistant Coach of Calabar confirmed that Stephens was told to jog the race, which he did not do in such a competitive atmosphere.
â— Upset in the Class 1 Boys 400m Hurdles!
Favourites, Malik James-King of Calabar and STETHS’ Jauavney James were beaten convincingly by a young man from Rhodes Hall High School, Rovane Williams in a record time of 49.94s.
◠Petersfield comes out on top in the Class 2 Boys 400m and Boys 4×400m Open Relay!
Petersfield’s Antonio Watson seized victory in the Boys Class 2 400m and lived up to his reputation of World Under-18 Champion. He then anchored his 4×400m Relay team to victory in the last race of Champs, since Calabar’s record win was later declared null and void due to disqualification. One of the athletes on Calabar’s 4×400m team was over his race limit according to the rules. It is sad that the fault in Calabar’s line-up was apparently not picked up by the organizers before the race, but after the fact by Petersfield, who launched the appeal. A bit of a sour taste in the mouth at the end of Champs.
â— KC beats Calabar in the 400m Class 1 Boys
KC’s Captain, Dashawn Morris gave it his all and won the 400m Class 1 Boys in an impressive 45.09s, ahead of Calabar’s Anthony Carpenter, who registered a PB of 45.47.
â— STETHS’ Jauavney James showed great perseverance to win the Class 1 Boys 800m
Jauavney James of STETHS got his redemption from losing the 1500m and 400m hurdles. He won from behind in the Class 1 Boys 800m. He got his strategy right to finish his last Champs race in fine style.
â— Winner from Lane 8 in Class 3 200m Girls
Gabrielle Matthews of Hydel won the Girls Class 3 200m out of lane 8 in 23.60s to beat Edwin Allen’s Tina Clayton.
â— Sweet 16 KC rivalry continued in the Class 3 Boys 200m!
This time around KC’s Adrian Kerr beat his teammate, Bouwahjgie Nkrumie in record time. Nkrumie was still in good spirits, unlike Kerr who could not speak in his interview the night before after placing 2nd in the 100m. But with true determination, he ran from behind with lots of grit for the 200m win.
â— Calabar gets their Sweet 16 in the Class 1 Boys 200m
Calabar’s Christopher Taylor won the Class 1 Boys 200m impressively in 20.32s ahead of his compatriot, Anthony Carpenter. Carpenter had an obvious limp towards the end of the race, but still managed to finish 2nd.
So many spectacular #ChampsMoments. I hope you shared these as some of your faves too.
Kudos also to the After-Show! Although some spectators may have dislocated their shoulders, it was superb quality for Jamaica’s version of the greatest show on earth.
See you next year!
By: Gabrielle Burgess
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