Thu | May 2, 2024

St Jago surprise, Edwin Allen sprint queens at Gibson McCook

Published:Sunday | February 25, 2024 | 12:07 AMRaymond Graham - Gleaner Writer
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Bert Cameron celebrates with St Jago’s Class 1 Boys team moments after they won the 4x100 metres at the Gibson McCook Relays held at the National Stadium yesterday.
Gladstone Taylor/Multimedia Photo Editor
Bert Cameron celebrates with St Jago’s Class 1 Boys team moments after they won the 4x100 metres at the Gibson McCook Relays held at the National Stadium yesterday.
Edwin Allen's Reneica Edwards anchors the team to victory in the girls' Class 2 400x100 metres at the Gibson McCook Relays at the National Stadium yesterday.
Gladstone Taylor/Multimedia Photo Editor
Edwin Allen's Reneica Edwards anchors the team to victory in the girls' Class 2 400x100 metres at the Gibson McCook Relays at the National Stadium yesterday.
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AFTER FAILING to win any of the 4x100-metre relays last year, the Michael Dyke-coached Edwin Allen girls were the most successful team in 4x100m relays at yesterday’s Gibson McCook Relays, winning the Class 1 and 11 events.

After a minute of silence in respect of the passing of track and field analyst and journalist Hubert Lawrence, the quartet of Tonyan Beckford, Jounee Armstrong, Trezeguet Taylor and Natasha Fox stopped the clock at 45.68 seconds to defeat Hydel, 46.79, and Holmwood, 46.88, to take Class 1.

Led by a brilliant third leg from the outstanding Theianna-Lee Terrelonge, the Edwin Allen Class 2 team, which also included Shanique Creary, Maria Crossfield, and Reneica Edwards won Class 2 in an even more impressive 45.54 to turn back St Jago, 46.23, and Hydel, 46.70.

St Jago won Class 3 in 46.10, just ahead of Edwin Allen 46.19, and Hydel, 46.67. In Class 4, Hydel won in 48.13 as Edwin Allen, 48.39, and Convent of Mercy Academy, Alpha, 47.15, ended second and third.

Coach Dyke was happy with the results.

“We came to the meet with high expectations and I am not disappointed, as I think the girls did well and I am proud of them,” said Dyke.

St Jago Class 1 4x100-metre boys pulled off a major upset, the quartet of Tajay Duffus, Raheem Pinnock, Kawayne Kelly, and Dushane Gordon went sub 41 seconds for the first time this season, winning in a decent 40.45 seconds to outlast favourites, Excelsior, 40.47, and Jamaica College (JC), 40.90.

“I am so proud of the guys, as we were the underdogs coming to the meet. No one gave the team a chance and we pulled it off,” said Bertland Cameron, head coach of the St Jago team.

The David Riley-coached Excelsior made up for their Class 1 loss a few minutes later, surprising Kingston College (KC) to capture the Class 2 4x100 metres in 40.65 seconds, equalling KC’s 2014 record. KC, 40.76, and Calabar, 41.91, took second and third.

Calabar and JC picked up wins also. Calabar won the Class 3 event in 43.26, ahead of KC, 43.55, and St Jago, 43.74.

JC won Class 4 in 45.86, ahead of St Jago, 45.92, and KC, 46.28.

A brilliant anchor leg from World Senior Championships 100-metre bronze medallist, Zharnell Hughes, gave Racers Track Club a big win in the men’s institution and clubs 4x100 metres, clocking 38.88 seconds, to finish ahead of Swept Track Club, 39.02, and Dynamic Speed Track Club, 39.06.

Alphansus Davis became the first winners of the high school mixed relay, ahead of Holmwood Technical, clocking 3 minutes, 32.83 for the victory. Holmwood stopped the clock in 3:33.60 to get the better of third-place Edwin Allen, 3:35.05.

Kasheika Cameron and Nigel Ellis, both representing Elite Performance Track Club, captured the women’s and men’s 100 metres.

Aided by a positive wind of 3.0 metres per second, Cameron won in 11.13 seconds, ahead of SprinTec’s Ashley Williams, 11.53, and Mickail Moodie of G.C. Foster College, 11.65.

Ellis won the men’s event in 10.09 in a positive wind of 2.1 metres per second. Teammate Javorne Dunkley, 10.17, and Speed Dynamic’s Jahzeel Murphy, 10.23, were second and third respectively.