Muschett, Trelawny make presence felt at Champs
Published:Sunday | March 24, 2024 | 12:11 AMGregory Bryce - Staff Reporter
WHILE THE name Muschett High School might not be in the running when it comes to the ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys and Girls’ Athletics Championships title, their presence was certainly felt, especially in the Class 2 sprints.
Shanoya Douglas and Johan-Ramaldo Smythe struck gold in the Class 2 200m final for Muschett High. Douglas took the girls’ title with a gold-medal-winning time of 23.93 seconds, while Smythe was crowned champion on the boys’ side with 21.35.
Douglas, who also won gold in the girls’ Class 2 400 metres, got the better of Edwin Allen’s Theianna-Lee Terrelonge. Terrelonge had the advantage coming off the bend but faded in the last few metres of the race, settling for silver in 24.31.
Douglas was bursting with joy after her victory and said, while doing the 200-400 double was a tiring experience, the gold medals made it worth the effort.
“It’s really great because it showed that I have the drive to do anything I want because the 200-400 double is a very tiring event and it takes great willpower to do both at the same time and medal also with all these fast and incredible people in the race also.
“It was all thanks to my coach, Garth Smythe, who prepared me mentally and physically for this, and that’s why I’m grateful for him.”
Douglas said, as she watched her teammate cross the line first in his 200, she was overwhelmed with joy as they had achieved their goal of bringing glory to Muschett.
She explained she was praying for Smythe’s victory, and when she saw him cross the line ahead of the pack, she had no choice but to join in his celebrations.
“I felt great. I was just there watching and praying and keeping my fingers crossed. I said ‘Yes, we’re carrying it home. We’re carrying the gold back home with us’ and, when he did, I was on cloud nine.”
For Smythe, the win was especially significant because he missed out on a medal in the boys’ 100 metres by one-hundredth of a second. He had placed fourth in 10.56 seconds behind Herbert Morrison’s Tavern Stewart, 10.55.
He said the 200m gold medal was his chance to redeem himself after the disappointment of the 100.
Young Smythe, the son of the Muschett head coach, also took the time to congratulate William Knibb’s Jabari Matheson, who claimed silver in 21.64. According to Smythe, Matheson’s silver medal is important as it means another Champs medal will head home to the parish of Trelawny.
“It gave me more motivation and more push. I’ve been dreaming of winning the 200 metres since August of last year. I just did what my coach said and ‘just run the curve hard and when you reach straight just lift your knees and it will carry you come down’.
“It is really important for us. We’re from Trelawny and the person who came second, Jabari, is also from Trelawny. So it’s a big deal for us to bring back some medals for Trelawny.”