A new record in the 4×400 metres open relay sealed the deal for the Stinging Bees (Yellow House) to retain the title at Springer Memorial’s Inter-House Athletics Championships at the National Stadium yesterday.
And the Bees sure did cause some damage on track on the opening day of secondary school sports, repeating as queens in emphatic fashion.
They finished with 601.50 points, 95 points clear of the Titans (Purple), who were second with 506, and Moh Fyah Blue Blazers (Blue) had to settle for third with 468.50 points.
The Tigers (Green) and Fighting Phoenix (Red) placed fourth and fifth with 397.50 and 384 points, respectively.
Senior victrix ludorum Drew-Ann Clarke of Yellow House, who collected 90 points, ran a sensational first leg in the 4×400 metres relay. That lead allowed for a smooth transition to Ladedra Grannum and Tia Lewis who widened that gap before the talented Tricia Phillips brought it home for the Stinging Bees, erasing the 2017 time of four minutes 29.73 seconds. The new record time is four minutes, 27.86 seconds.
Clarke, 18, competed in four events but captured gold in the Division 1 Girls 400 metres in one minute 2.37 seconds and the 400 metre hurdles in a time of 1:11.26 seconds.
She, however, lost the 200 metres to the talented Sierra Coward of Blue Blazers who won that race in 26.04 seconds ahead of Clarke, who was timed at 26.85 seconds.
She placed a disappointing eighth in the 100 metres dash, which Coward captured in 12.82 seconds.
The diminutive Division 3 champion Maliah Edwards also performed well, showing that size had nothing to do with the speed of her feet when she gained a total of 60 points for the Bees.
The 13-year old won the 200 metres hurdles in a time of 31.15 seconds and took third in the 200 metres in 26.99 seconds as well as second spot in the 75 metres hurdles in 14.28 seconds.
Brianna Baird of Red tallied 68.50 points to be named the junior victrix ludorum.
She won gold in the Division 5 Girls’ 100 metres in 14.37 seconds, 200 metres dash in 28.70 seconds and the 400 metres in 1:09.55 seconds.
The Titans also managed to capture divisional titles through Julisa Jones-Smith and Jasena Nurse.
Smith won the 100 metres hurdles in 17.60 metres and took bronze in the 100 metres in a time of 13.16 seconds.
In the Division 4 competition, Nurse won the 400 metres in one minute, 10.38 seconds, and the 75 metres hurdles in 16.27 seconds and took third places in the 100 and 200 metres, clocking 14.60 and 30.62 seconds, respectively. (RG)