- Junior Dowie Overseas-based Noelle Graham leaps to victory in the girls Under-20 long jump final with a distance of 6.39m during yesterday's National Junior Trials at the National Stadium.
Merrick Andrews, Staff Reporter
JAMAICA'S leading junior sprinters Omar Brown and Veronica Campbell were in spanking form at the National Junior Trials which ended at the National Stadium yesterday.
Brown and Campbell won their respective Under-20 200 metres races to add to their 100m gold hauls on Friday's opening day.
Brown, the Albert Town wonder, ran a relaxed curve then cut down leader Winston Smith with 80 metres left to win comfortably in 21.42 seconds, way below his personal best mark of 20.89.
Marvin Anderson from William Knibb, the bronze medallist on Friday in the 100m, was second in 21.58 ahead of third-placed Smith (21.63), who bounced back from his disappointing sixth in the 100m.
Campbell, currently the world junior leader in the 200m with her 23.05 from the Carifta Games earlier this year, won the event in commanding fashion in 23.29 seconds from Nadine Palmer (23.64) and Seton Hall University's Noelle Graham (24.17).
Campbell is the No. 2 two ranked world junior sprinter in the 100m with her 11.33 seconds from Friday night. China's Wangping Qin is the list leader with an 11.30 clocking.
Meanwhile, Edwin Allen's Lisa Sharpe and Andre Maxwell from Ardenne High won their respective half-lap distance races in the Under-17 category which also added to their 100m success on Friday night.
Sharpe, after easily dismissing Kerron Stewart in the 100m, had to dig deeper yesterday for the win. Stewart had the lead with 50m left and looked like she would have created an upset. However, Sharpe dug into her extra reserves to peg back Stewart in 24.56.
Stewart clocked in at 24.64 ahead of late charger Simone Facey who was third in 24.77 seconds.
The jumps for both sexes also proved entertaining with Munro College's sprinter Paul Thompson and Bellefield Comprehensive's Antholow Dawkins automatically qualifying for the World Juniors later this year.
Thompson won the Under-20 boys long jump final with a leap of 7.56m while Dawkins, who traded the leading position with Renece Chung in the early rounds, claimed second over a near-illegal 2.0 wind with 7.49m. Chung was third with 7.41m.
Overseas-based Graham also jumped a smart 6.39m in the girls Under-20 equivalent only for 2.5 illegal wind. She triumphed over Rose-Ann Hamilton's 6.02m for second and Authea Chambers wind-assisted 5.97m for third.
Germaine Mason, who recorded a whopping 2.14m in the high jump at the Gibson Relays, won the Under-20 event with 2.05m, the same distance recorded for Chris Morrison in second and Curt Gardener (1.95m) for third.
Among other victors were Under-20 shot put winner on Friday Dwayne Henclewood with a 47.40m in the discus; Aldwyn Sappleton in the boys Under-20 800m (1:54.03); Nimal Bailey in the Under-20 boys 400m hurdles (53.61) and Karen Gayle in the girls Under-20 800m (2:11.89).
