Sts Peter and Paul grab first hold on Champs title

ZACHARY HUNTER delivered an exceptional anchor leg in the 4X200-metre boys’ relay to help Sts Peter & Paul capture their very first hold on the JISA Prep Championships powered by GK General Insurance and GK Mutual Funds at the National Stadium on Saturday evening.

The Jerome Kirby-coached school tallied 211 points to win the championships ahead of the dethroned champions, Hydel Prep, who finished the meet in fifth place with 131.5 points.

They were followed by Vaz Preparatory, 158; Our Lady of the Angels, 136; and St Andrew Preparatory at 134.5.

“It’s an immaculate feeling. (We’re) overjoyed,” said Kirby.

“We stuck out for the championships. Championships require three days of hard work and performances. The boys and girls this year were prepared to do just that. The only mishap we had this year was in our 4X100m boys’ team, which broke the Gibson record this year. We also broke it last year. We came this year, broke our same record at Gibson, and we were doing stellar performances at the track meets, and that was the strongest boys’ team that we had coming in the relays.”

Donovan Leigh James, also from Sts Peter and Paul, the meet’s champion boy, sped to win the boys’ 400 metres in 56.73 seconds.

James, who foreshadowed his victory at the meet’s launch in May, is deemed a prodigy after only starting to train for track and field in January.

The 12-year-old James, who was part of the winning boys’ 4X200 team, ran the second leg, with the team blazing the track in 1:48:80 minutes.

James, a highlight of the meet, also captured the 200 metres, clocking 25.86 seconds, to get the better of Imaney Samuels from Hydel Prep, 26.53, and Kaden Levermore from Wolmer’s, 26.92.

Among the girls, a nail-biting finish in the Class 2 100-metre final proved the highlight, with Safiya Little of Vaz Prep (13.70) bringing home gold ahead of Anastassia Bailey of Lannamann’s Prep (13.73).

Joshua Thaxter of Our Lady of the Angels won the boys’ high jump Class 1, clearing the bar at 1.45 metres, in front of Emmanuel Christian Academy’s Joshua Radlein, 1.40, and Marcel Johnson of St Andrew Prep, 1.40.

All three finished the JISA meet with personal bests.

As part of their title sponsorship, each first-place athlete walked away with $15,000 to open a new GK Mutual investment account, with the winning school walking away with up to $40 million in insurance coverage from GK General Insurance.