Kingston, Jamaica – Windward Road are champions of the INSPORTS Junior High & All-Age Athletics Championship for the second straight year, after a strong performances on the third and final day at the National Stadium East.
Having trailed arch rival John Mills on the first two days, Windward Road surge to the lead during the afternoon session to win the championship with 520.5 points.
Many-time champions John Mills faded into second to finish on 450.5 points, with Louise Bennett Coverley securing third with 259.5 points. Swallowfield with 229.5 points took fourth, while Melrose ended fifth on 205 points.
Windward Road’s Chevelle Lewis and Janealia Brown dominated Class 1 and Class 6 respectively as both supplied 18 points each to their team’s success. Brown won comfortably the 200m and 400m, winning the former in 27.33 seconds, ahead of Mount Moreland Jessica Fenton (27.90) and Jada Beckford of Swallowfield, 28.52 seconds.
Brown was nowhere near Kerron Stewart’s 1998 400m record of 59.50, as she toppled the field to win in 1:03.55. Mount Moreland’s Teshaun Wong was second in 1:04.68, while Shantauna Tyrell of Melrose was third in a time of 1:05.21. Lewis, meanwhile, took the 100m and 200m sprint double. After winning the 100m in 13.62, Lewis added another gold by securing the 200m title in 27.85 seconds.
Class 1 athlete Akeem Green of John Mills and teammate Tyrese Brown of Class 4 were among five male athletes who accumulated 18 points each but their efforts were not sufficient to wrestle the title from Windward Road.
Green registered the second record of the championship when he won the boys shot put Open with a new mark of 12.67m, breaking Brandon Hayden’s 2006 record of 12.27m. He outclassed his rivals with teammate Nemoy Cockett (10.11m) finishing second and Calabar’s Rondre Hutchinson (10.04m) , fourth.
Green then struck gold in the Class I boys high jump, winning with a clearance of 1.70m after edging Demar Sayles of Calabar who cleared the same height. John Mills’ Rohan Carr was third with 1.65m.
But it was in the lower classes that made the difference for Windward Road in which they either won or finished higher than their rival, who were not represented in some finals.