Big upset, enticing match-up highlight day one of Central Champs

YESTERDAY’S OPENING day of competition at the Central Athletics Championships, as expected, unveiled a dog fight among Edwin Allen, Holmwood Technical, and Hydel High schools’ girls.

Contrastingly, among the boys, it has been one-way traffic for St Jago, who already look set to maintain their unbeaten run at these championships.

On a day when Holmwood’s girls look good all-round, it was perhaps the performance of Hydel’s Alana Reid that produced the most head-turning moment.

Reid pulled off, possibly, the upset of the season when she beat Edwin Allen’s Serena Cole to capture the Girls’ 100 metres.

Running into a negative 2.3 metres-per-second wind, both athletes were neck and neck up to 90 metres before Reid, the World Under-20 200-metre bronze medallist, found extra to win in 11.39 seconds.

Cole, the World Under-20 100-metre silver medallist seemed to ease off to finish second in 11.93 seconds as Kamaria Knight of St Catherine High School ended third in 12.11.

FIRST RECORD OF THE MEET

Earlier, Holmwood Technical’s Cedricka Williams gave the leaders at day’s end a great start, producing the first record of the meet after a throw of 54.01 metres to win the Class One discus.

St Jago’s Abbigail Martin, 53.38m, was second, and Clarendon College’s Shenara Richards closed out the podium spots with a throw of 46.70.

The girls from Christiana produced two more records yesterday in the Class One 400 and 1500 metres.

In the preliminary round of the 400 metres, the two fastest athletes in the island came face to face earlier than expected. Holmwood’s Rickiann Russell overcame Hydel’s, Oneika McAnnuf to win in 52.59 seconds, ahead of McAnnuf, 53.35.

Russell’s winning time erased the previous mark of 52.72 seconds done in 2016 by Holmwood past student Ashley Williams.

The two would return in the final to lower the record again.

The result was the same with Russell catching McAnuff 10 metres from home to stop the clock in a lifetime best 51.73. McAnuff also went faster than she had ever gone before finishing second in 51.94 seconds.

Edwin Allen’s Kacian Powell was third in 53.28.

Jodyann Mitchell gave Holmwood their third record on the day.

Competing in a very competitive Class One 1,500 metres, she stopped the clock at 4 minutes, 30.30 seconds (4:30.30). Edwin Allen’s Rickeisha Simms was second in 4:32.24 and Alphonsus Davis’ Kishay Rowe third in 4:36.61.

On the day, Holmwood picked up four other wins on the track, with Florence Nafamba winning the 2000-metre steeplechase open in 7:21.64.

Keira Meikle, 12.14 seconds, won the Class Two 100 metres, Maria Baker won Class Four 100 metres in 12.52, while Analece Brady took some big scalps in the Open 400-metre hurdles, winning in 58.99 seconds. Edwin Allen’s Tonyann Beckford, 59.21, was second and McAnnuf, 1:00.68, third.

Jevaughn Pinnock led the way for St Jago with a record run in the Class One 400-metre hurdles, winning in 52.35 seconds to break the old mark of 52.93 held by Shemar Brown of Garvey Maceo in 2020.

Edwin Allen’s Tyrece Hyman, 52.52, was also inside the old record for second, and St Jago’s Jaheene Bell, 53.27, was third.

St Jago also picked up two wins in the 100 metres. Defending champion, Ray J. Reid won the Class Three event in 11.40 seconds, while Detonja Morgan won Class Two 100 metres in 11.11. Manchester High School’s Javoon Blair won the Class One in 10.70, ahead of Clarendon College’s Richard Neldon 10.81 and St Jago’s Tajai Duffus’ 10.89.