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Penns disappointment spurs STETHS’ Trials dominance

Published:Wednesday | July 12, 2023 | 12:08 AMHubert Lawrence/Gleaner Writer
St Elizabeth Technical High School’s Javorne Dunkley in action at the JAAA/PUMA Natnioal Senior and Junior Championships inside the National Stadium at the weekend. Dunkley claimed the sprint double at the meet.
Gladstone Taylor
St Elizabeth Technical High School’s Javorne Dunkley in action at the JAAA/PUMA Natnioal Senior and Junior Championships inside the National Stadium at the weekend. Dunkley claimed the sprint double at the meet.

A FORLORN return from the Penn Relays in April spurred the St Elizabeth Technical High School (STETHS) trio of Javorne Dunkley, Tremaine Todd and Enrique Webster to strong performances at last weekend’s National Junior Athletics Championships in Kingston. Dunkley dominated the 100 and 200 metres in the under-20 age category with Todd sparkling in the under-18 100 metres.

With blue chip speed merchants Bouwahgjie Nkrumie and DeAndre Daley testing the water with the seniors, Dunkley whizzed to a personal best 10.17 in the 100 last Friday and returned to win the 200 in 20.74, with the wind just over the allowable limit. Todd gave the field a one-metre lead with a slow start in the National under-18 final but the Carifta under-17 100-metre champion hit the gas to win in 10.46 seconds.

Tall Wolmerian Gary Card was second in 10.61 seconds.

Webster gave STETHS’ coach Marvin James another reason to smile with an under-20 400-metre victory in 47.87 seconds with 400-metre hurdles champion Jaheene Bell of St Jago High School, a determined runner-up.

Speaking inside the National Stadium, James said these performances were directly connected to a second-place finish in the 4x100 at the Penn Relays.

“We were disappointed in not winning the 4x100 at Penns,” he said.

“We went straight back to the drawing board. We did some basic speed work, went back in the gym, did some heavy lifting, did some speed work as I said on the track and the rest, as they say, is history.”

With silver medals at Boys and Girls’ Championships and the Carifta Games at 200 metres, Dunkley is having a fine season and James is very pleased with the compact sprinter.

“I am very elated for him,” James said, revealing that the youngster skipped the STETHS graduation exercise to do a training trip to the Stadium recently.

He thinks that with time, Dunkley will become one of Jamaica’s best.

“I see him getting up there. With his body of work and his determination and commitment and he’s a very, very disciplined person,” said James.

Todd was a cut above the under-18 100-metre field and James said he may well be even better next year.

“Todd is a beast by himself. He really works hard and, as I would have mentioned earlier in the season, that I run him sparingly because he’s a fragile person so you have to know how to run him,” he said.

Todd won the class 3 100 in 2021 but missed 2022 with an injury.

“Plans are being put in place for him in terms of next year in getting him up fully to 100 per cent so he can go even faster than he is going now,” James promised.