Hemmings-McCatty hails successful Northern Champs

Atlanta Olympic Games 400 metres hurdles champion Deon Hemmings-McCatty is elated after the successful staging of the second Northern Athletics Championships, which was held last Saturday at the Grizzly Plantation Cove Sports Complex in Priory, St Ann.

Twenty-seven schools from Trelawny, St Ann, and St Mary competed at the meet, with St Mary High earning top honours. They tallied a combined score of 363.5 points to finish ahead of Ocho Rios High 21,7.5; York Castle, 206.5; Brown’s Town, 159.5; and Muschett High, 91. St Mary High topped both the boys’ and girls’ sections. The boys tallied 118.5 points and the girls, 245.

Hemmings-McCatty, the chairman of the organising committee, heaped praise on the competing teams, officials, and sponsors after the meet.

“The meet was a great success Several records were broken, and so many athletes who came in from non-traditional schools got a chance to showcase their talents. Our motto is ‘Breaking Barriers, Honing Skills’, and we did just that on Saturday. Special thanks to our spectators, volunteers, principals, coaches, athletes, medical personnel, security, our hosts, and sponsors for making the second staging a success,” she said.

TOAST OF THE MEET

Ocho Rios High’s Class Two athlete Aaliyah Hylton was the toast of the meet after picking up three individual wins, including one in record time. Hylton won the 100 metres in 12.36 seconds, the 200 metres in a record 25.31 seconds, and completed the three-timer by taking the 400 metres in 1:01.25.

Led by Abigail Schaffe in Class One, St Mary High completely dominated the meet. Schaffe won the 400m in a record 58.50, getting the better of York Castles’ Aysha Jarrett (1:01.47) and Keressa Richardson, also of St Mary High (1:02.45). Ryama Dennis and Glacia Loutin won the Classes Four and Three 100 metres, respectively, for the Highgate-based school. Dennis completed her sprint in a record 13.05 seconds, ahead of teammate Kyandra Hines (13.12), with Ocho Rios High’s Tasaviya Shaw finishing third in 13.18. Loutin captured the Class Three 100m in a record 12.37, beating Shantae Pryce (12.69) and Natalia Scarlett of Ocho Rios, 12.81.

Former St Jago High 400m runner Anthony Cox, a finalist in the one-lap event at the 2017 IAAF World Under-18 Championships in Nairobi, Kenya, was the star performer among the boys. He won his two events in record times. Competing for his new school, York Castle, Cox clocked 49.52 in the 400m and 2:03.00 for the 800 metres.

Also gaining a double was St Mary High’s Chali Harris. Competing in Class Four, he first won the 100m in 12.22, while stopping the clock at 25.38 seconds in the 200m. On both occasions, Patrick Vassell of York Castle was second. Vassell clocked 12.68 in the 100m and 26.61 in the 200m.