Local athletes warmed up for the 2012 athletics season with eight new records at the 5th Annual BC Trac Twilite Odd Distance Meet last Friday night at the National Stadium.
Only one record came in the field where Tristan Whitehall of BC Trac put the shot 16.30 metres, replacing the 14.98 set by Kemar Holder-Edghill two years ago. Javelin thrower Justin Cummins took up the round ball and was good for second place with 13.46
The oldest track record to fall was one from 2004 and it was an athlete making a return to competition. Sharon Larrier, who made her name as a quarter-miler representing Foundation School, raced to 40.59 seconds in the women’s 300 metres, lowering the time from 40.9 set by Natalie Eastmond.
The other records were of a more recent vintage.
Akayla Morris of Wilkie Cumberbatch posted a time of 7.03 seconds in the Under-11 girls’ 50-metre dash, down from the 7.22 set by Tristan Evelyn in 2008. Rising Stars’ Thierry Jordan now owns the boys’ record of 6.66 seconds, shattering the 7.10 held by Fabian Leon for the past two years.
Leon won the Under-13 boys’ race in 6.75 seconds, but it didn’t trouble the 6.41 set by Tamal Atwell.
Rising Stars’ Timeka Jordan erased Evelyn’s 6.76 in the Under-13 division the following year, with a time of 6.54 seconds. Jordan, the only athlete to break the seven-second barrier, also won the 150m in 19.25 seconds.
Danae Gill of Rising Stars sent Leah Barker’s 18.74 seconds in the Under-15 girls’ 150m from the books, posting 18.19 seconds. Sada Williams of Elite Distance, who was second, was also under record time with 18.66.
The longest event on the programme was two-and-a-half laps, and Raheem Skinner of Elite Distance made light work of the event with a time of two minutes, 42.47 seconds, erasing Leon’s 2:43.36.
Mario Burke was the first of three on record pace in the men’s 50m. Burke stopped the clock in 5.57 seconds, shattering the 5.80 set by Elroy Agard two years ago.
Tré Adamson of Rising Stars was second in 5.73 seconds and his clubmate Rory Grant equalled the old record.
Burke narrowly missing another mark. He crossed the line in 16.53 seconds in the Under-15 boys’ 150m, but Raphael Jordan’s 16.5 will stand for another year. Evelyn stepped up to the women’s division with 6.26 metres in the 50m dash, just off Liann Kellman’s 6.2.