Anthony Foster, Freelance Writer
Wolmer's Josef Robertson clears the hurdle well ahead of the field on the way to setting a national junior record of 50.24 to win the 400 metres hurdles open on day three of the 2006 Boys and Girls' Atlethics Championships at the National Stadium yesterday. - Ian Allen/Staff Photographer
VERE TECHNICAL'S girls held on to their lead while Kingston College (KC) took over pole position in the boys' section entering today's final day of
the VMBS/ISSA Boys and Girls Athletics Championships at the National Stadium.
Kingston College (KC) lead the boys section with 104.5 points after 15 of 37 finals, eight points ahead of Calabar (96.5), Jamaica College (64), Wolmer's 64) and St. Jago (30).
KC's Lennox Graham expresses mixed feelings heading into the final day.
"We have to be happy with where we are, the guys will have to step up and perform because it's not going to be stroll in the park," he said of his team seeking a sixth consecutive title.
In the girls section, after 19 of 44 finals Vere are still out front with 136.5 points, followed by defending champions Holmwood (115.5), Edwin Allen (102), Manchester (78), St. Andrew (48.5) and Immaculate (45). One final was not scored among the points.
Maurice Wilson, coach of Holmwood which is seeking a fourth straight win, said his team is "...just right where we expected to be".
"Once we do not make any mistakes today we should retain our title," Wilson said.
There is a scare in the Holmwood camp because star sprinter Schillonie Calvert hit her foot on the bar which separates the cycle track and the bleachers. Wilson, said she will visit the physio before they can say how serious the injury is.
Meanwhile, Vere's coach Dwayne Jarrett remained hopeful, but said they didn't score as predicted.
"We dropped some valuable points and we have our work cut out. We can't relax for any moment today," he said.
Camperdown's World junior 100m bronze medallist, Remaldo Rose, won the Class One event in 10.30.
OUT OF SHAPE
Asked if he was aiming at Tesfa Latty's 10.24 record, Rose said: "No, because I am kind of out of shape, because from CARIFTA trials I have not been training." Rose's teammate Kimour Bruce was second in 10.55 and Holmwood's Omar Brown (10.56) was third.
Holmwood's Calvert (11.39) beat Edwin Allen's Kimberly Smith (11.71) and Anastasia LeRoy (11.73), also of Holmwood, finished third in the Girls' 100m Class One final.
In the girls' Class Two 100m, Immaculate's Danielle Jeffery (11.75) beat Edwin Allen's Shawna Anderson (11.87) and Samantha Henry of Queen's ( 11.96), while Earl Lee of Calabar (11.18) beat Ardenne's Jhuvon Francis (11.25) and Jason Williams of Kingston College (11.39) in the boys Class Three final.
In the girls' 400m hurdles final, Edwin Allen's Sherene Pinnock ran a personal best 57.03 to win easily ahead of her teammate Andrea Sutherland
(59.59) and Judith Riley of Manchester (60.49). Vere's Kimoya Harriott (40.00m) and Old Harbour's Kimone Tulloch (39.59m) were second and third respectively.
In the girls' Class One 1500m, Edwin Allen's Jodian Richards won in 4:38.47 ahead of Vere's Stacey Bell (4:39.17) and Holmwood's Vanessa Boyd (4: 45.10).
Camperdown's Lorenzo Johnson leapt 4.30m to win the boys' pole vault ahead of Kingston College's Darren Dailey (3.70m) and Jamaica College's Andre Clunis (3.70m).
Shantel Thompson of Vere won the girls' Class One high jump with a leap of 1.74m. The St. Jago's pair of Marsha Matthias and Suelyn Pilliner, and Immaculate's Kimberley Laing, all cleared 1.65m for joint second.
In the Class Two boys' shot put, Munro's Omar Bryan (15.37m) beat the Jamaica College pair of Damion Johnson (15.33m) and Shane Dodd (14.59), while Bridgeport's Marlon Thompson took the boys' long jump Class Three, leaping 6.46m. He beat Wolmer's Ricardo Hyde (6.35m) and Jason Williams of KC ( 6.33m).
Holmwood's Salsa Slack threw 37.56m to win the girls' Class Two discus ahead of St. Jago's Annakaye Robinson (37.13m) and Vere's Kimberly Williams ( 34.03m).
KC's Alain Bailey bounced back from his long jump defeat to win the triple jump with a leap of 15.19m. He beat Wolmer's Robert Peddlar (15.04) and Calabar's Nicholas Gordon (14.77).
The boys' Class Two long jump title went to Tarik Batchelor of KC (7.24m) from Calabar's Jerome Myers (7.21m) and St. Jago's Mario Caesar (6.77m).
