KINGSTON, Jamaica – Defending champions Windward Road and arch rival John Mills are locked on 200.5 points apiece at the end of day two of the 38th INSPORTS All-Age & Junior High Athletic Championships at the National Stadium East Field today.
They are followed by Melrose (60.5 points), Louise Bennett-Coverely (58), Calabar (54), Cockburn Gardens (50.5), Swallowfield (41), Mico Practising (40), New Day (39), Constant Spring (38), Green Park (38), Braeton (36), Maverley (33), Shortwood Practising (16), Central Branch (11), Greenwich (nine), Rest (seven), Norman Gardens (four), Osbourne Store (three) and Seaward (one).
It has been an expectant see-saw battle between the two most successful schools at these championships and today’s second and penultimate day provided the perfect atmosphere going into tomorrow’s final day.
Windward Road quickly had their overnight five-point lead erased by John Mills after 10 finals were scored, before remarkably creating a gap of just over 50 points atop the table.
But John Mills coach Ransford Spaulding – who has guided them to 16-straight titles before Windward Road stopped them in 2014 – delivered a stirring fight back, as his charges won nine of the 21 finals contested today compare to Windward Road’s six gold medals.
Nemoy Cockett of John Mills set the championships first record when he threw 13.54m to win the Open shot put for boys. Cockett, who had earlier won the Class 1 boys long jump, broke Akeem Green’s previous mark of 12.67m in outclassing the field. The Windward Road duo of Kevon Kasserley (11.88m) and Richard Campbell (11.49m) won the silver and bronze respectively.
Kevin Wilson of John Mills easily won the Class 1 boys 200m finals in a time of 23.06 seconds, finishing well ahead of Constant Spring’s Shavary Grant (23.74) and Shevioe Reid (23.80) of Braeton.
While Wilson had things easy in the 200m finals, his teammate Rezonde Thompson had to battle his way to claim victory in the Class 1 boys long jump final. Thompson secured the gold with a distance of 5.67m ahead of Calabar’s Ajoni McDonald (5.65m) and teammate Danta Pollack, who registered 5.31m to secure the bronze.
Janealia Brown of Windward Road won the Class 1 girls 200m in 26.23 seconds, while Swallowfield’s Jada Beckford (27.62) won the silver and Debbie-Ann Cohen of Maverley, bronze in 28.18 seconds.
The championships come to an end tomorrow with 43 finals scheduled.
