Some exciting races await spectators when the two-day finals of the 2012 Powerade Barbados Secondary Schools’ Athletic Championships get underway at the National Stadium.
It will be an especially tough day for the older athletes with finals of the 1 500 metres, 400m, sprint hurdles, 100m and the 4×100 metres, while the younger athletes will face their own test in the 1 500m, sprint hurdles, 800 and 200m.
Springer Memorial’s Akela Jones has the fastest qualifying time of 11.97 seconds in the Under-20 Girls’ 100m, while the boys’ race should be between the St Michael School duo of Deon Hope and Levi Cadogan.
St Michael’s Leah Barker is the favourite to take the Under-17 Girls’ race, as is Mario Burke of Harrison College among the boys.
Garrison’s Ariel Jackson has been having a breakout season and will be hard to beat in the senior girls’ 400m. But the boys’ race will be a dog fight between Combermere’s Nikolai Gall and John Haynes of The Lodge School, with St Leonard’s Kevin Barton and Kion Joseph as well as Ken Mason of Queen’s College in the mix.
Combermere’s Ramarco Thompson holds the edge on the field among the Under-17 boys’ as does Foundation’s Tia-Adana Belle among the girls.
For the juniors, if all goes according to plan, Tramaine Smith (24.47) of The Lodge School will be going against Combermere’s Matthew Clarke (25.77) and Nathan Fergusson (26.17), while Springer’s Rosette Hoyte, with a time of 26.52 seconds, will be laying it on the line against St Lucy’s Aliyah Bascombe, who has the second fastest time of 26.99 in the 200m.
The Lodge School’s Danae Gill has the fastest time of 25.75 among the Under-15 girls while Deighton Griffith’s Kentoine Browne holds the edge with 23.07 seconds among the boys.
In the 800m, all eyes will be on Lester Vaughan’s Rivaldo Leacock. He is faster than the field by almost six seconds and Garrison’s Akilah Blackman leads the girls.
Alleyne’s Mateo Menal heads the Under-13 boys and Alexandra’s Shonita Brome will be going after her third gold medal, with wins in the long jump and high jump from last week.
Despite being weakened, Springer Memorial look set to carry off yet another title. They don’t look spectacular on the track, but the girls are qualifying for the finals as usual and points are coming in from the field events.
No newer secondary school has won the boys’ title since St James way back in 1998.
Either St Leonard’s Boys’ or Lester Vaughan School could change that statistic. However, they will be in a battle with defending champions Queen’s College, The Lodge School and Combermere School.
Harrison College, who have won the most titles over that period, are very weak in the hurdles and that is too many points to leave on the table. Tomorrow’s 4x400m may well determine the title.Â
