THE BIG GUNS CAME OUT firing on all cylinders at the National Stadium track yesterday.
St George Primary’s Sarah Belle, Deacons’ Malachi Harris, Ialpha Nedd of A. Dacosta Edwards Primary School and Sharon Primary’s Samiya Dell all established themselves as the ones to beat during the quarter-finals of the National Primary Schools Athletic Championships (NAPSAC).
Belle, an obvious crowd favourite, recorded the fastest time among Under-13 girls in the 400 metres (1:05.79) and the 200m (27.64), while also finishing with the second fastest time in the open 600m, clocking 1:48.27.
She also produced a memorable run in the girls 800m sprint medley, clawing her way back from eighth position to finish second and guarantee her school a semi-final berth.
But with Indica Kellman-Wall of Wilkie Cumberbatch and L.T. Gay Memorial’s Ranisha Forde-Morris all hot on her heels, it has set up an intriguing showdown at next week’s semi-finals.
Kellman-Wall’s time of 1:47.44 was the quickest over 600m, and she was also the third fastest over 400 metres (1:07.15), while Forde-Morris was a fraction of a second slower than Belle in both the 400 metre (1:05.86), and the 200 metres (28.15) to finish second in both events.
Harris continued from where he left off at the preliminary stage, with dominating wins in the Under-11 boys’ 100m (13.68), 200m (27.90) and the cricket ball throw, with an impressive effort measured at 64.46m.
He left his arch-rival, Milton Lynch’s Jevon Burnett in the dust in both sprints, with his times of 14.13 and 28.70 in the 100 and 200 respectively, good enough for second.
The dreadlocked Nedd is the favourite to win the Under-13 boys 400 metres, after shaving almost two seconds off his preliminary time to clock the day’s fastest time of 1:02.97, with Luther Thorne’s Shem Williams second in 1:03.61.
It will be a ding-dong battle for supremacy in the 200 metres though, with the top five finishers all within striking distance.
Williams returned to claim first position in a time of 27.05, but Hilda Skeene’s Terrico Bruce (27.06), Charles F Broome’s Justin Millington (27.36), Nedd (27.37) and Mario Linton of Milton Lynch (27.55) were all close behind.
Another exciting contest is also escalating among the Under-9 girls, where Dell, West Terrace’s Skye Spencer-Layne and Ciara Piggott of St Stephen’s are engaged in a fierce battle.
Dell drew first blood when she stormed to victory in 80 metres, with her time of 12.40, relegating Piggott (12.84) to second position.
Piggott then turned the tables in the 100 metre sprint, finishing first in 15.21, with Dell (15.37) and Spencer-Layne (15.46) second and third respectively.
Dell copped her second victory of the day by winning the 150m (23.70), with Spencer-Layne (23.75) just behind in second, and Arthur Smith’s Kelescia Downes third in 23.84. Piggott placed fifth in 24.61.
St Stephen’s also sent a warning sign as one to watch, winning four of the divisional relays.
They finished first in the Under-9 girls 4x100m, Under-11 girls 4x100m, Under-13 girls 4x100m and the Under-13 boys 4x100m relays.
