Edwin Allen dominate sprint relays

Edwin Allen High School produced a series of impressive performances to dominate the high school girls’ 4x100-metre relays at the Gibson McCook Relays at the National Stadium yesterday. Excelsior High School also showed excellent form, capturing the boys’ Class 1 equivalent.

The Michael Dyke-coached Edwin Allen won three of the four girls’ sprint relay events. They clocked a season’s best 44.43 seconds to comfortably take the Class 1 4x100m title, the fastest time recorded by a Jamaican high school team this year. The quartet of Shanique Cassanova, Alexxe Henry, Kelly-Ann Carr, and Rennecia Edwards led from start to finish for an emphatic victory.

Immaculate Conception High School, winners of this year’s Corporate Area Championships, finished second in 45.54, while Hydel High School took third in 45.64.

St Jago High School led throughout to win another Class 2 section in 45.44 ahead of Edwin Allen (46.08) and Holmwood Technical High School (46.93).

Edwin Allen continued their dominance by winning the Class 3 4x100m relay in 46.38, finishing ahead of Alpha Academy (46.52). They later returned to capture the Class 4 title in 48.21, with Vere Technical High School second in 48.98 and Wolmer’s Girls’ School third in 49.05.

On the boys’ side, Excelsior delivered an outstanding run, clocking 39.69 seconds to win the Class 1 4x100m relay ahead of Jamaica College (39.89) and Kingston College (40.27). The Excelsior line-up of Michael Graham, Malike Nugent, Detarje Morgan, and Riquelme Reid secured the victory in impressive fashion.

Calabar High School won the Class 2 event in 40.98, narrowly ahead of JC (41.03) and KC (41.05). Wolmer’s Boys captured the Class 3 title in 43.40, finishing ahead of KC (43.69). JC avoided leaving empty-handed by winning the Class 4 relay in 44.91, with KC second (45.12) and Calabar third (45.72).

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In the individual events, Jonielle Smith won the women’s 60m A race in a blanket finish, holding off Tina Clayton (7.08) and Lavanya Williams (7.13). Former World Under-20 100m silver medallist Serena Cole captured the 60m B race in a personal best 7.14 ahead of Krystal Sloley (7.15) and Theianna-Lee Terrelonge (7.16).

Olympic silver medallist Kishane Thompson produced a personal best 6.46 to win the men’s 60m A race. Bryan Levell was second in a personal best 6.47, while national record holder Ackeem Blake finished third in 6.48.

Sandrey Davison won the B race in 6.51 ahead of Gary Card (6.52) and Bouwahjgie Nkrumie (6.57). Deandre Daley claimed the C race in a personal best 6.65, followed by Adrian Kerr (6.68) and Shakur Williams (6.70).

In the senior relays, SprinTec Track Club clocked 38.39 to win the men’s club 4x100m relay ahead of Swept Track Club (38.45).

At the primary school level, Spanish Town Primary School sped to a meet-record 49.26 to win the Under-12 boys’ relay. Half-Way Tree Primary School took the girls’ title in 51.59.

In the field events, Raymond Richards of MVP Track Club cleared 2.26m to win the men’s high jump ahead of Lushane Wilson of GC Foster College (2.15m). Canniga Powell of the University of Technology Jamaica won the women’s long jump with 6.03m ahead of Hydel’s Sabrina Atkinson (5.69m) and Janice Dunkley (5.62m).

Robert Bailey