Love breaks discus record at Penn Relays

PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania:

Excelsior High's Shanice Love fought off cool and rainy conditions on the opening day of the 2016 Penn Relays to break her own national junior record and the meet mark in the girls' discus throw.

The ISSA-GraceKennedy Boys and Girls' Championships Class One and Carifta Under 20 champion threw the discus 54.72 metres to erase the old meet record of 54.29 metres set by former Holmwood Technical thrower Gleneive Grange in 2013. Love's throw also broke the national junior mark of 54.66m she set at the MVP track meet two weeks ago. Hydel High's Devia Brown was third in the event with a throw of 48.34m.

Love, who will move to Florida State University in September, was very excited with her throw.

"I am feeling great right now and despite the fact that my sequence not that good, I used my last throw to go for it no matter what happened, win or lose," she said.

St Jago High's Tissana Hickling also mined gold. She won the girls' long jump with a best of 5.86 metres. Edwin Allen's Annia Ashley was fifth with 5.46m.

DIFFICULT TIME

Hickling's teammate, Jodyann Petrie, was second in the triple jump after a best of 11.97m while Samara Spencer of Hydel was fifth with 11.86m.

It was clear from the first track event, the girls' 400m hurdles, that the Jamaican athletes were going to have a difficult time in performing at their best at a cold Franklin Field stadium. Shannon Kalawan of Edwin Allen was second in the event to Anna Cockrell of Providence High, North Carolina. After a neck-and-neck battle to the penultimate hurdle, the American found extra to pull away for to in 57.38 seconds. Kallawan was second in 58.80.

There was mixed fortune for the Jamaican high schools in the relays.

Defending champions Holmwood and Edwin Allen were the only two schools to qualify for today's 4x800m final following preliminary round action yesterday. Holmwood finished second in 9:15.15 behind Pennwood out of Philadelphia in 9:12.07. Edwin Allen were third in 9:12.65. Vere Technical, who won their heat in a pedestrian 9:19.89, and Spalding High did not advance.

Five Jamaican schools are in the Championships of America 4x100m final set for 1:25 p.m. (Ja time) today. Holmwood have the fastest time, after winning their heat in 45.64.

FAVOURITES

Defending champions Edwin Allen are the next best with 45.79, while Excelsior (46.55), St Catherine High (47.08), and first time qualifiers Green Island (47.18) the other Jamaican teams in the final. One of the prerace favourites, St Jago High, had a major mishap on the first exchange between Kimone Shaw and Shaniel English and they failed to finish.

There was also a big scare for favourites St. Elizabeth Technical in the girls' 4x400 metres. They found themselves in early trouble, and anchor leg runner Junelle Bromfield, who got the baton in third place, kept her position and crossed the line in 3:50.19. They were the seventh fastest qualifiers for today's final. Holmwood are the fastest qualifiers after winning their section in 3:46.58. Edwin Allen (3:48.07) are the other Jamaican team in the final.