Records tumble at corporate area meet

It was records galore on Thursday at the Digicel Anthrick Corporate Area Development Track and Field meet at the UWI-Usain Bolt Stadium, where some 30 new marks were achieved as Kingston College and Wolmer's Girls walked away with top prize of $250,000 for being the top boys and girls school.

Despite top boys team Calabar being absent and several top names from Kingston College, including the likes of Akeem Bloomfield, Jhevaugn Mattherson, Nathaniel Bann and Dontre Williams also not present, this did not take anything away as athletes from the respective schools warmed up for next month's ISSA-GraceKennedy Boys and Girls' Championships, with good performances, while gaining crucial points for next week's Digicel Grand Prix finale at G.C. Foster College, where the top two teams from each region will advance.

Kingston College topped the male section with 397 points, ahead of Jamaica College - second on 166, andExcelsior High in third with 164 points.

Individually, on the male side, it was Kingston College's Class Two athlete Zico Cambell, who stole the show.

Campbell, who transferred from Glenmuir High last September and who is not eligible to compete at Champs this year, captured the shot put in a new record of 16.92m to erase Calabar's Andre Chin's two-year record of 15.32m. He returned to keep his lead in the Grand Prix discus after another record of 49.32m.

After playing second fiddle to Calabar's sprinters all season, Kingston College's Yashawn Hamilton took the opportunity to take the lead in the Under-18 Boy's 100m Grand Prix after clocking a fast 10.79 seconds to erase Calabar's Daniel Bogle's two years old record of 10.98 in winning the Class Two event, ahead of teammate Akeem Cargill, who finished second in 11.01, and Excelsior's Craig Campbell coming in third in 11.05.

The photo finish camera could not decide the winner of the Boy's Class Two 110m hurdles as Kingston College's Phillip Beckford and Orlando Smith both touched the finishing line together in a new record of 14.02 seconds.

Other record breakers from Kingston College included Shane Buchanan (15:30.00) in the 5000m Open, and Marco Doodnauthsing (48.36) in the Class I boy's 400m.

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Excelsior's Nathan Brown led the way for the Mountain View-based team among the males as he clocked 1:53.95 in winning the Class One boy's 800m in a record time, getting the better of Kingston College's Lerone Bowden (1:55.14) and his teammate Shemar Hylton, third in 1:55.78.

Jamaica College's Detroy Stewart was an impressive winner in the Boy's Class Two 1500m as he rushed to a new record of 4:14.55 in winning the event, ahead of his teammate, Rackeem Ricketts, second in 4:24.45 with Billy Watson of Kingston College taking third in 4:36.44.

Despite a low-keyed season so far, Wolmer's Girls showed that they will not give up their Corporate Area title that easily at "Champs" this year as they staved off a strong challenge from Excelsior to cop the female overall title with 359 points ahead of their main rival on 324 points.

They dominated the sprints in Class One and Two as Trudyann Williams captured the Class One 100m in 12.00, edging out Camperdown's Rushelle Burton, who finished second in 12.01 with third going to her teammate, Trishawana Crawford, in 12.23.