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Close Champs reveals a blue with a deeper hue

Hydel break Edwin Allen hoodoo with first stint on the summit Kingston College mine 34th title in dominant fashion

Published:Sunday | April 2, 2023 | 5:01 PMDaniel Wheeler - Staff Reporter
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Kingston College supporters inside the National Stadium yesterday get in the mood for a night of celebration upon the realisation they would hold onto the Mortimer Geddes Trophy for the 34th time.
Gladstone Taylor
Kingston College supporters inside the National Stadium yesterday get in the mood for a night of celebration upon the realisation they would hold onto the Mortimer Geddes Trophy for the 34th time.
Hydel High School’s Aaliyannah Anderson points her baton to her teammates after anchoring her team to the girls’ Class Two 4x100-metre title at the ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys and Girls’ Athletics Championships inside the National Stadium last night.
Gladstone Taylor
Hydel High School’s Aaliyannah Anderson points her baton to her teammates after anchoring her team to the girls’ Class Two 4x100-metre title at the ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys and Girls’ Athletics Championships inside the National Stadium last night.
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Dreams have finally come true in blue for Hydel High.

In the closest title race in years, the girls from Ferry, St Catherine are the queens of high-school athletics, dethroning Edwin Allen to win their first-ever girls title as the 2023 ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys and Girls’ Athletics Championships concluded last night.

Their Central Championship victory by half a point two weeks ago set the stage for a fight to the finish where, in the end, Hydel topped Edwin Allen’s dynastic eight-time championship-winning run, just as Edwin Allen did to Holmwood Technical (nine-year run) in 2012. Interestingly, Hydel are the first new champion since 2012, when Edwin Allen won the first of their nine titles.

For Kingston College (KC), Championship Saturday almost seemed inevitable, rattling off victory after victory to retain the Mortimer Geddes Trophy for the first time since 2005-06 and their 34th overall.

KC pressed home their 30-point advantage from Friday to leave their nearest challengers, Jamaica College, well beaten.

Edwin Allen entered the final day with a seven-point lead, needing every point available to keep their crown. Hydel won the Class One and Class Two 4x100-metre relays but Edwin had the chance to retaliate through the 1600–metre sprint medley.

The nine-time champions did not take advantage of it and were disqualified after crossing the line first, a 12-point swing that Hydel would not relinquish.

The equation in the final race was easy, Hydel had to medal.

The team, led by captain Oneika McAnuff, finished second behind Edwin Allen to become the first St Catherine team to win the title in 24 years, the last being St Jago in 1999.

Championship Saturday was filled with other great performances on the track and in the field.

Hydel’s Alana Reid capped off her high-school career in style, capturing the Class One girls’ 200m title in 23.08 seconds to complete the sprint double.

Coming off a record-breaking 100m performance where she became the first athlete to go under 11 seconds at Champs, Reid said she was only focused on the title, especially in light of windy conditions.

“I have to continue thanking God for carrying me this far. I just came out here and did my utmost best. I’m not sure what happened (with my technique). I just ran straight through the line, following my coach’s instructions. The wind was a bit heavy but, nevertheless, I pushed through,” Reid said.

Hydel also had success in the Class Two final with Shemonique Hazle outdipping Lacovia High’s Sabrina Dockery to the title in 24.36. Wolmer’s Girls’ Natrece East won the Class Three title, while Immaculate’s Kayla Johnson completed a sprint double, winning the Class Four final.

Jamaica College’s (JC’s) Malique Smith-Band won the Class One 200m title in 20.90 and celebrated with the JC fans, who, he said have been his source of strength in a season where he got back to his best after an injury that affected his 2022 campaign.

“My coach and I had a long conversation about what was necessary. I was very nervous knowing the pressure of what was necessary for me to do. Without the fans, maybe I wouldn’t have pulled through. So I had to thank the fans,” Smith-Band said.

Kingston College’s Tahj-Marques White also completed a sprint double, adding the Class Two 200m title to the 400m title he won on Thursday. St Elizabeth Technical’s Shaun Lewis won the Class Three 200 title.

Petersfield’s Alexis James took home the Class One girls’ 100-metre hurdles title in 13.39, while St Jago’s Demario Prince took home the Class One boys’ 110mh title.

In the field, Camperdown’s Britannia Johnson smashed the Class One girls’ shot put record with an effort of 15.33 metres to secure the title. Her twin sister Brittanie was second in 13.62 and Juliet Smith of Immaculate Conception third, in 13.34. Calabar’s Kobe Lawrence claimed the Class One title in his final season at Calabar, with a put of 19.49m. KC’s Aaron McKenzie took the Class One boys’ high jump title, clearing the bar at 2.05 metres, while the Class Two girls’ title was claimed by Edwin Allen’s Deijanae Bruce after she cleared 1.75.

Mount Alvernia High’s Aaliyah Foster won the Class One long jump title in her first year with a personal best effort of 6.33 metres.

daniel.wheeler@gleanerjm.com