Plans to dethrone St Michael Cougars could have existed only in the minds of the competition.
The Martindales Road school once again came away double crown champions of the Frank Blackman Zone of the Powerade Barbados Secondary Schools’ Athletics Championships at the National Stadium yesterday.
The boys powered to 420 points while Queen’s College were 143 points behind with 277. Third were Lester Vaughan who gained 273 points.
Winning by a 219.50 point margin, the girls cruised to victory with 450.50 points. Second and third place went to Lester Vaughan and Queen’s College with 231 and 185 points, respectively.
St Michael’s victory was characterised by a number of quality performances for them to wrap up the second day safely, having taken off with an early lead on the first day.
CARIFTA hurdler qualifier Nathan Fergusson was the Under-20 boy to run away with the 400 metres hurdles event, clocking a time of 52.90 seconds.
Their boys swept three victories winning the 200 metres events.
Joshua Collymore took the Under-13 race, clocking 26.76 seconds, Darian Clarke won gold in the Under-15 event in 22.56 seconds and Antoni Hoyte-Small was triumphant in the Under-20 Boys in 22.30 seconds.
Kyle Gale emerged the winner in the Under-17 Boys 400 metres in 55.07 seconds.
Seth Edwards threw a decent 14.76 metres to gain gold in the Under-20 Boys’ shot put while setting a new zone record.
Rhea Hoyte smashed last year’s zone time in the Under-20 Girls’ 400 metres hurdles when she crossed the finish line in 63.42 seconds. Alexandra’s Shonita Brome also ran under the record time to take silver in 64.00 seconds.
Teneille Chapman-Goodluck made an impressive delivery for St Michael to log a new record of 28.21 metres in the junior girls’ discus. Taking second was teammate Kayleigh Catwell who threw 20.25 metres.
Once again showcasing her worth, Skye-Spencer Layne continued her secondary school debut with a winning leap of 4.71 metres in the Under-13 Girl’s long jump with Samaiya Dell second with 4.53 metres.
Also in the Under-13 Girls division, Jahzara Holford made her mark when she powered home to clock a new zonal time in the 800 metres.
She clocked 2:39.66 minutes ahead of teammate Jade Williams who crossed the finish line in 2:49.46 minutes.
Ashlee Lowe was quick out the blocks and maintained that speedy run until she crossed the finish line in 24.86 seconds in the Under-20 Girls’ 200 metres.
In the 800 metres, Asia Foster also made a record finish of 2:27.34 minutes ahead of Ashley Weekes, also of the St Michael School, to clock 2:28.57 minutes.
Kenya Alleyne and Tower Lorde gained more glory for St Michael, winning the Under-20 Girls’ discus with distances of 29.07 and 28.30 metres.
St Michael also claimed the boys and girls 4×400 metres relays.
The boys lowered last year’s time of 3:17.38 minutes with the help of Hoyte-Small, who sped away into an early lead before Nathan Fergusson, Kyle Gale and Michael Patrick gave outstanding performances to clock a new time of 3:17.13 minutes.
Brandon Downes of Alexandra prevailed in the Under-15 Boys’ 300 metres hurdles in 42.17 seconds.
His teammate Aaron Cumberbatch achieved the gold medal leap in the Under-15 Boys long jump with 5.34 metres.
Young Dania Lewis took the Under-13 Girls’ 200 metres in 27.34 seconds for Alexandra, forcing St Michael’s Samaiya Dell and Spencer-Layne to settle for second and third in 27.43 and 27.53 seconds.
Queen’s College took one and two in the Boys’ Under-17 shot put with Nicholas Grimes and Kevon Hinds throwing 13.98 and 17.77 metres, respectively.
Grimes completed a double when he captured the javelin with 47.33 metres, while teammate Kevon Hinds was second with 42.63 metres.
Queen’s College swept the Under-15 and Under-17 Boys’ 800 metres through John Clarke and Samuel Alkins in 2:16.10 and 2:04.46 seconds, respectively.
Queen’s College took another win when Sean Raphael emerged the winner in Under-15 Boys’ 200 metres in 23.71 seconds.
Alysha Mascoll surpassed the zonal distance to take gold in the Under-15 Girls’ long jump with a new zone best of 4.73 metres.
Kamille Gaskin-Griffith of Queen’s College ran away with the Under-17 Girls 200 metres.
Daryll Jordan’s Mary Fraser kicked into another gear at the final 150-metre mark to claim the Under-20 Girls’ 800 metres in 2:24.78 minutes.
Frederick Smith’s Aaliyah Agard not only set a new zone record but ran the fastest 200 to win Under-15 Girls’ event in 24.76 seconds.
Princess Margaret’s Anika Blackman got away from her competition to capture the Under-17 Girls’ 300 metres hurdles in 46.24 seconds. Her schoolmate Elvisha Price also turned in a winning time in the Under-15 Girls 200 metres in 30.70 seconds.
Nathan Wiltshire, also of Princess Margaret, gained success in the junior boys’ javelin, throwing 37.19 metres.
Coleridge & Parry’s Tafari Bishop won the Under-20 Boys’ 800 metres in 1:56.82 minutes.
Their CARIFTA athlete, Shanice Hutson, beat the former zone distance in the Under-17 Girls discus, recording a hurl of 40.16 metres.
The Ashton Hall, St Peter school also took first and second in the Under-13 long jump through Kamari Slocombe and Joshua Husbands with leaps of 4.63 and 4.50 metres, respectively. (RG)
