Three more vintage records were among ten stripped from the books when the curtain came down on the 2011 Powerade Barbados Secondary Schools’ Athletic Championships (BSSAC) Friday evening at the National Stadium.
Overall, an unprecedented 27 records were broken during the five days of competition.
When Cristanna McConney of Queen’s College erased Beverley McCollin’s 12.75 seconds in the Under-13 Girls’ 100 metres, it left Yolande Straughn’s Under-20 Girls’ 100 (11.64) and 200 (23.47) as the only records from the very first meet back in 1985.
McConney broke the record with an electronically-timed 12.75 in the semis, then came back in the final to slam the field in 12.71 seconds.
It was her third record from four events, adding to the 200m (25.62) and long jump (5.19 metres) to share the victrix ludorum title with Springer Memorial’s Akela Jones.
Two other records, both 17 years old, were also replaced. In the Under-13 Girls’ 400 metres, Tianna Bowen of The Lester Vaughan School lowered Doran Prescod’s 61.04 to an amazing 59.97 seconds, a time which would have been third in the Under-15 division.
Mario Burke of Harrison College set his second record, leaping to 6.26 metres in the Under-15 Boys’ long jump to raise the standard on the 6.23 set by Maurice Clarke back in 1994. He also holds the Under-13 record of 5.26m.
All of the other records were less than five years old, but it didn’t make their fall any less spectacular.
Ellerslie’s Anthonio Mascoll, the joint victor ludorum with wins in the 400, 800, 1 500 and 5 000 metres, featured in two of them.
In the Under-20 Boys’ 800 metres, everyone expected Mascoll to win; they were simply waiting on the time.
After he pulled away from Ibrahim Hinds of Harrison College, he stopped the clock in 1 minute, 52.41 seconds, dismantling the 1.54.17 for a CARIFTA “A” and Pan Am Juniors qualifier.
Mascoll then combined with Nicholas Deshong, Roderick Best and Joshua Walcott for a record 3:13.77 in the Boys’ Open 4×400 metres, bringing a fitting end to five wonderful days of competition.
It erased last year’s 3:17.67 when Christopher Davis was in the line-up instead of Walcott.
Mascoll’s run in the 800m came two races after Jerrad Mason of Harrison College had also brought the crowd to its feet in the Under-17 Boys’ race.
When his CARIFTA “A” and World Youth time of 1:52.74 was announced, the Louis Lynch Stand was abuzz, as he had taken nearly five full seconds off the 1:57.37 he did this time last year.
Two other records fell in the sprints.
Springer’s Tristan Evelyn won the Under-13 Girls’ 100m in 12.13 seconds, just inside the time she did in the preliminaries. And Deshong clocked 20.80 seconds in the Under-20 Boys’ race to replace Shekeim Greaves’ 20.86; Deon Hope of Alexandra was second in an “A” qualifying time of 21.24.
The final records came in the intermediate hurdles. Combermere’s Ramarco Thompson seemed to shake off the disappointment of his false start in the 200m on Thursday evening with a blistering run in the Under-15 Boys’ 300m hurdles.
He took the race by the scruff of the neck, picking up the stagger and dismissing the field to lower his time from the preliminaries (39.27) to an impressive 38.82. Burke gave chase all the way, finishing second in 40.63.
Tramaine Maloney of The Lodge School also came roaring back after his false start in the Under-20 Boys’ 110m hurdles to set his second record of the meet with a time of 52.63 seconds in the 400m hurdles.
In erasing Stefan Goodridge’s 52.76, he also qualified for Pan Am Juniors.
Dario Scantlebury of Queen’s College also had an impressive run in the Under-17 Boys’ race for a season’s best 53.92 seconds, dragging along schoolmate Kevin McCaskie (55.13) and Alleyne’s Jahvere Worrell (55.43) to first-time “A” qualifying times.
The action was hot on a day that Springer Memorial and Queen’s College won the top prizes.
Jones got her fourth win and a share of the victrix ludorum title with 24.67 seconds in the Under-17 Girls’ 200m.
She also met the CARIFTA “A” standard with 42.76 seconds in the 300m hurdles; Shakera Hall of Coleridge and Parry was second in a “B” 44.04.
Hackeem Belle of The Lodge School leapt 15.17m to blow the competition out of the water in the Under-20 Boys’ triple jump with a CARIFTA “A” standard.
