ANTHONIO?MASCOLL?and Jerrad Mason both hit the qualifying standards for the CARIFTA Games in the preliminaries of the 400 metres at the Louis Lynch Athletic Championships yesterday evening at the National Stadium.
Mason, who was drawn in Lane 8, held the lead for most of the race and Mascoll ran back at him over the last 100 metres. Setting the table for what should be a really exciting final, Mascoll won
in 48.02 seconds and Mason was second in 48.35 seconds. Shaquille Alleyne of Foundation was third in 48.60.
Other finalists include Pacers’ Nicholas Deshong and Christopher Davis; Foundation’s Nikolai Gall; Rico Ward of Freedom Striders and the Rising Stars pair of Jamal Marshall and Damian McCollin.
In the other prelims, Tia-Adana Belle (59.23) of Elite Distance and Pacers’ Joshua Walcott (51.21) had the fastest qualifying times in the Under-17 division and Althea Maximilien of Freedom Striders led the women with 57.56.
The men’s 400 metre was one of the most exciting races in the early session. Only a few field events and two track finals had been completed up to press time.
In the Under-15 Girls’ 400 metres, Kiara Maynard of Quantum Leap finished strong to have the fastest qualifying time of 61.49 seconds.
Krystal Greaves of Combermere was second 63.49 and young Rosette Hoyte of Rising Stars, who is still at Sharon Primary finished third in 64.30.
Ramarco Thompson of Freedom Striders slammed the field to win the boys’ race in 51.21 seconds. Ross Jordan of The Lodge School was second in 55.44 and Pacers’ Mawuli Marshall third in 56.27.
In the lone hurdles race done in the early session, Juwan Augustin-Mayers of Rising Stars won the Under-15 Boys’ 80-metre hurdles in 13.56 seconds.
Winmalecia Bowen of Springer won the Under-17 girls’ shot put with 9.09 metres; Leah Bannister of Elite Distance the women’s event with 9.62m and Pacers’ Thorrold Murray pulled out 7.05 metres in the men’s long jump while Shamar Rock of The Lester Vaughan School leapt 6.32 metres in the Under-17 Boys’ long jump.