IT CAME DOWN TO an epic finish at the National Stadium yesterday.
In the end, All Saints needed a bit of luck before holding off defending champions Hillaby Turner’s Hall in an enthralling finish to capture the girls’ title in the Anton Norris Zone of the Pine Hill Dairy National Primary School Athletic Championships (NAPSAC).
Hillaby Turner’s Hall, who ended on 152.50 points, eight behind the eventual winners, were disqualified in the penultimate girls’ event of the day, the Under-11 Girls’ 4×100 relay, after finishing second in their heat.
Had they not been disqualified, they would have finished with the third fastest overall time, and picked up 12 points in the process.
It allowed All Saints, who amassed 164.50 points, to sneak away with the victory, while People’s Cathedral (99.50) ended in third and Belmont, who collected 90 points, fourth.
The race to the boys’ title wasn’t nearly as close, with St Jude’s being the runaway leaders from the opening events.
They amassed 154.50 points, well ahead of second-placed All Saints (119.83), with St Matthew’s (107) and People’s Cathedral finishing third and fourth, respectively.
Hillaby Turners Hall, the defending boys’ champions, finished fifth on 97 points.
Two Under-9 athletes were crowned the most outstanding athletes of the day, with Cuthbert Moore’s Krissaria Ballantyne being named the victrix ludorum and Tyrease Holder of St Jude’s the victor ludorum, after they both accumulated 30 points.
Ballantyne was the quickest in the 80 metres (13.20 seconds), edging Tyreisha Griffith of Hillaby Turner’s Hall (13.22) into second position, and she also won the 100m (16.15) and the 150m (24.34).
Holder was especially impressive, with all three of his times being among the fastest of all the zones so far. He sprinted to victories in the 80m (12.17), the 100m (15.27) and the 150m, which he won in 23.78 seconds.
Eight records were set, including one resulting from a blistering run by People’s Cathedral Under-13 Girls’ 4×100 relay team.
Rashad Pearce of St Martin’s Mangrove started the ball rolling when he broke the old mark of 2:39.30 in the Open Boys’ 800m, with a time of 2:36.62.
Cuthbert Moore’s Zania Mascoll then threw the cricket ball 26.44m, erasing the previous record of 24.40m set four years ago in the Under-9 Girls. Jadan Harris of Gordon Greenidge did likewise in the Under-11 Boys, his throw of 53.03m bettering the previous record of 50.05m.
Tyrique Bailey-Edwards, also of Cuthbert Moore, leapt past the old mark of 3.94m in the Under-11 Boys’ long jump with a 4.09m effort, and Belmont’s Aaliyah Trotman leapt 1.21m to surpass the 1.20m in the Open Girls’ high jump.
Competing in the Under-7 Girls’ division, A. Dacosta Edwards’ Renicia Sealy erased the old mark of 1.39m in the standing broad jump with an effort measured at 1.41m.
Mount Tabor’s Under-11 4x100m clocked 1:00.63, to lower the previous mark of 1:01.00, before People’s Cathedral brought the house down with a memorable clocking of 56.81, obliterating Mount Tabor’s 13 year-old record of 58.29.
