OH HOW THE MIGHTY HAVE FALLEN.
Perennial athletics powerhouses Williams Industries West Terrace and KFC Christ Church Girls both surrendered their titles in the boys and girls divisions respectively when the National Primary School Athletic Championships (NAPSAC) continued at the National Stadium yesterday with the Patsy Callender Zone.
Led by victor ludorum Shem Williams, MQI Ford Rangers Luther Thorne motored along to become the new boys champions, while St Stephen’s were the queens in front of a sellout crowd at the Waterford track.
While Luther Thorne, who finished on 163.75 points were forced to fight tooth and nail with Charles F. Broome Primary (158.25) for the majority of the day in the boys, St Stephen’s were runaway leaders among the girls. Their 172 points were well ahead of second-placed Wilkie Cumberbatch, who amassed 126.50 points, with Popular Discount L.T Gay Memorial two and half points behind in third.
Both Williams and West Terrace’s Skye Spencer-Layne, who was named the victrix ludorum, won all three of their individual events in dominant style to finish with 30 points.
Competing in the Under-13 boys, the 11-year-old Williams had the fastest times in the 200 metres (27.31) and the 400 metres (1.05.39), while he also leapt the farthest in the long jump, with a leap of 4.69 metres.
Spencer-Layne was simply in a class of her own in the Under-9 girls, setting one of the three new zonal records which fell on the day.
She completely demolished Kia Burke’s record of 3.15 metres in the long jump which was set in 2010, jumping her way into the record books with a 3.64 metres effort.
The eight-year-old also registered victories in the 100 metres (15.74) and the 150 metres (23.84).
Charles F Broome’s Reniko Griffith set a new mark in the Under-7 boys standing broad jump, his jump of 1.48 metres bettering the 1.40 metres which Rico Ifill set four years ago.
St Stephen’s Under-11 girls 4X100 metres relay team was responsible for the final record to be set, their time of 58.56 erasing the old mark of 1:00.54 set by Wilkie Cumberbatch in 2011.
Indica Kellman-Wall of Wilkie Cumberbatch also produced two outstanding runs, with both falling just short of the zonal records.
She was on course to break Jaria Hoyte’s 2010 record of 1:47.24 in the open girls 600 metres, before falling just short, with her time of 1:48.25 making her a comfortable winner.
Kellman-Wall then ran a blistering 400-metre leg in the open girls sprint medley, to bring her school within less than a second of setting a new mark.
Their time of 2:07.02 was just outside Luther Thorne’s four-year-old record of 2:06.70.
West Terrace’s Lyobosa Iyare was also impressive among the Under-9 boys, where he dominated the sprints on his way to collecting 28 points.
DIVISIONAL CHAMPIONS
Girls Under-7: Camia Bynoe (St Christopher’s) 18
Boys Under-7: Shadontae Gittens (Bayleys), Joshua Moore (West Terrace), Renico Griffith (Charles F Broome) 10
Girls Under-9: Skye Spencer-Layne (West Terrace) 30
Boys Under-9: Iyobosa Iyare (West Terrace) 28
Girls Under-11: Kiara Payne (St Stephen’s) 24
Boys Under-11: Christopher Yearwood (Luther Thorne), Caleb Massiah (Charles F Broome) 20
Girls Under-13: Asher Carrington (Bayley’s) 22
Boys Under-13: Shem Williams (Luther Thorne) 30
Victrix Ludorum: Skye Spencer-Layne
Victor Ludorum: Shem Williams
FINAL POINTS
GIRLS: St Stephen’s 172, Wilkie Cumberbatch 126.50, L T Gay Memorial 124, Charles F Broome 122.50, Bayley’s 121, West Terrace 113.50, Wesley Hall 71, Christ Church Girls 58, George Lamming 40, St Paul’s 33, Luther Thorne 28.50, St Christopher’s 26, St Angela’s 22, Eden Lodge 22, Westbury 12.
BOYS: Luther Thorne 163.75, Charles F Broome 158.25, West Terrace 118, Bayley’s 112.75, Wesley Hall 108, Milton Lynch 93.50, St Stephen’s 81, Wilkie Cumberbatch 55.50, George Lamming 44, Westbury 43, St Angela’s 34, Eden Lodge 31.25, St Christopher’s 23, St Paul’s 15, L T Gay Memorial 11.
