- RICARDO MAKYN/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Asafa Powell anchors the MVP Club to victory in the men's championship 4x100 metres relay at the Gibson Relays at the National Stadium yesterday.
Anthony Foster, Freelance Writer
WORLD 100 METRES record holder Asafa Powell had to work overtime last night for MVP to win the men's 4x100m relay at the 30th Gibson Relays at the National Stadium.
"I did not really expect to run from behind," Powell said last night after the race. "But I have the confidence in myself and I knew I could do it. So I just went out there and pushed it a little," he said.
The event's final results were not available at press time and results proved difficult to come by all day, taking almost two hours after an event was completed at Jamaica's premier relay meet to reach the media centre.
At press time, only one record was accounted for with MVP's Markino Buckley's 14.51 seconds run in the men's 110m hurdles. Buckley erased the previous mark of 14.61 seconds set last year to beat Dwight Whebly of Wolmer's (15.26) and Orlando Beckford (15.52). Both top guns in the 4x100m Class One relays, Holmwood girls and Camperdown boys were upstaged. Holmwood girls dropped the baton on the second change-over.
In the boys' 4x100m Class One sprint relay, Kingston College (KC) upstaged fancied Camperdown and Holmwood in an action-packed final. KC also won Class Three while St. Jago took the Class Two and Four events.
ON TOP
In the women's 100m hurdles, which saw only St. Jago's Natasha Ruddock and Immaculate's Kimberly Laing facing the starter, the former came out on top in 14.70 seconds. Laing was timed in 15.01.
The men's 400m hurdles went to MVP's Kaluse Spencer (55.40) over Keith Ramsey of It Dat (57.04).
In the day's first final, former national champion Karen Beautle, leapt a season best 1.86m to win the women's high jump. Natoya Thompson of G.C. Foster (1.65m) and Claudia Calder of Convent of Mercy Alpha (1.65m) finished second and third respectively.
The men's long jump Open went to MVP's Jermaine Jackson, who leapt 7.63m. He defeated UTech's Herbert McGregor (7.61m) and UWI's Tarick Edwards (7.61m).
Jackson returned to finish second in the men's high jump with a leap of 2.08m, beaten by Antigua's James Grayman (2.11m).
Peta-Gaye Beckford of G.C. Foster College leapt 6.14m to win the men's long jump over Yanique Levy of University of West Indies (6.06m) and Keddine Geddes, also of G.C. Foster (6.02m).
Sean Pitter and Marcia James won the men's and women's mile races.
Pitter won the men's section in 4:15.82 ahead of MVP's Andre Drummond (4:22.35) and Kevin Campbell (4:24.79). James topped the female's category in 5:10.83 ahead of Edwin Allen's Jessica McLeod (5:12.89).
Lorenzo Johnson of Camper-down took the men's pole vault after clearing 3.70m. KC's Darren Daley (3.60m) and JC's (3.40m) took the runners-up spots.
