IT HAS NOT BEEN EASY taking the spotlight away from perennial girls’ queens Springer Memorial at the PowerAde Barbados Secondary Schools Athletic Championships (BSSAC) over the past decade.
Even though the 14-time queens had another routine day at the National Stadium, ending on 72 points as
The St Michael School were stuck on 26, Grantley Adams long-distance runners Elizabeth Williams and Roneldo Rock shone during yesterday’s second day of BSSAC action.
Parkinson’s javelin thrower Dario Bowen and St George’s shot putter Dequan Lovell also grabbed some of the attention as some unfancied schools made their mark by winning events.
Lester Vaughan’s Ashley Williams was the first record breaker of the championships, posting a mark of 12.58 metres to erase Shernelle Nicholls’ 2001 mark of 12.08 metres in the Under-20 Girls’ shot put.
Defending Boys’ champs Queen’s College did not win any of the day’s 11 finals but had four silver medallists in Ajani Haddock, Nathan Parris, Tre Hollingsworth and Seth Edwards as they moved to 55 points. Just 3.5 points separate the next three schools – St Michael (36), Lester Vaughan (35) and St Leonard’s Boys’ (32.5).
Earlier, Ashley’s namesake, Elizabeth Williams and Rock covered themselves in glory by winning the first two track finals for Grantley Adams.
Competing in the gruelling Open Girls’ 3 000 metres, Elizabeth overtook early pace setter Jade Searles of Springer Memorial in the fourth lap of the seven-and-a-half-lap event and went on to win in 11:32.07 minutes.
Searles (12:04.46) held on to be second with Harrison College’s Akila Forde (12:33.31) third but there was plenty of confusion at the finish as several athletes, who were lapped, stopped running after completing only six-and-a-half laps.
After their close battle in the 1 500 metres preliminaries on Wednesday, Rock prevailed over a determined Luke Hinkson of St George to win in 10:51.53 minutes.
Rock ran a smart race, stalking the diminutive Hinkson, who clocked 10:52.45 minutes for most of the seven laps, before surging ahead with about 80 metres left. Harrison College’s Nathan Thornhill (10:53.30) was third.
Bowen became the first Parkinson boy in three decades to win a javelin event when he threw 36.34 metres to take the Junior Boys’ event. Grantley Adams’ Shaquan Wilkinson (36.22) and Daryll Jordan’s Dario King (35.07) got silver and bronze.
Simone Carroll and Kelia Payne carried Springer Memorial’s tally of points at the end of the day to 72, by sweeping the top two positions in the Junior Girls’ javelin with 26.97 and 24.68 metres respectively. Ronelle Lovell of Graydon Sealy got bronze with a throw of 23.23 metres.
Shonte Seale, with the winning clearance of 1.61 metres, won the Under-17 Girls’ high jump from Aria Small of Queen’s College, who also cleared 1.61 metres but had more knock downs. Jalicia Neil of Springer Memorial (1.55) was third.
CARIFTA qualifier Akeim David of St Michael predictably completed victory in the Open Boys’ pentathlon, amassing 3 344 points over the six events.
Combermere’s Josiah Beckles (3 137) and Lester Vaughan’s Antonio Weekes (3 133), who won the final event, the 1 500 metres, in 4:43.32 minutes, took the silver and bronze medals.
St Michael also got another victory when Darion Clarke leapt 5.14 metres in the Under-13 Boys’ long jump to beat Ajani Haddock (4.91) of Queen’s College and Jaden Morris (4.76) of St Leonard’s.
Lester Vaughan’s Antonio Farrell won the Under-15 Boys’ high jump with a leap of 1.72 metres with Queen’s College duo of Hollingsworth (1.69) and Nico Reifer (1.66) grabbing silver and bronze.
St George were in winners’ row when their CARIFTA qualifier Dequan Lovell put the shot 14.64 metres to win the Under-20 Boys’ event from Parris (12.83) of Queen’s College and Lester Vaughan’s Gabriel Trotman (12.73).
Christ Church Foundation’s Deshon Trent won the Under-17 Boys’ long jump with a leap of 6.69 metres from The Lodge’s Shem Forde (6.56) and CP’s Anderson Greaves (6.43).
St Leonard’s Nathan Ellis won the day’s other final with a toss of 37.16 metres to claim the Under-17 Boys’ discus from Edwards (36.96) and Harrison College’s Nicholas Holder (34.89).
Apart from the field events finals, the 100 metres heats, 400 metres semi-finals, Under-15 Girls’ 200-metre hurdles, the Under-15 Boys’ 300-metre hurdles and Open 4×400-metre relay eliminations were also contested yesterday.
