Field events, hurdles steal spotlight at Champs

Field events stole the spotlight on yesterday’s fourth day of competition at the 2026 ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys and Girls’ Athletics Championships, on a day which saw three records broken in the sprint hurdles events and another equalled.

After 19 of 42 events Jamaica College had extended their lead from the previous day. They had 176 points, 65 ahead of Kingston College on 111. Calabar High were third with 80.5.

Edwin Allen High were also holding a comfortable lead after 22 of 46 girls’ events. They had 139.5 points and were followed by Hydel High 101, Holmwood Technical 84 and Immaculate Conception 78.

Leading the way in the field was Clarendon College’s Jamelia Young who delivered a record-breaking performance in the girls’ Class Two discus. Young produced a personal best mark of 48.40 metres to win the event, breaking the old mark of 47.04m set by former Holmwood Technical thrower Cedricka Williams in 2021. Brandane Malcolm of Hydel High was second with 44.93m, while Zoeyann Plummer of Excelsior was third with 44.65m.

Michael Andre Edwards of Jamaica College picked up his second gold medal of the championships. Following his win in the Class One boys’ long jump on Wednesday, he returned yesterday to capture the boys’ Class One triple jump with a personal best distance of 16.52m. Amani Phillips of Kingston College (15.44m) was second, while Antonio Anderson of Calabar High took third with 15.21m.

Earlier, his teammate Nathan-Neil Heirs gave Jamaica College their first win of the day in the boys’ Class Three long jump. Heirs, who trailed in second for most of the competition, used his sixth and final attempt to move into the lead with a jump of 6.37m, relegating long-time leader Joel Patrickson of Kingston College into second with 6.12m. Third went to Romario Franklin of Titchfield High with 5.99m.

Akaylea Brown gave Edwin Allen High their first win of the day after posting a personal best 1.75m to win the girls’ Class One high jump. Tatanya Anglin of Merl Grove High was second with 1.68m, while Sabrina Atkinson of Hydel placed third with 1.60m.

In another high jump final, Tshirra Armstrong of Immaculate Conception High won the Class Four event after clearing 1.58m. Jahmara Osborne of Vere Technical was second with 1.55m, while Tiana Shirley of Hydel took third with 1.50m.

Dajounae Rudolph picked up a win for Holmwood Technical in the throwing events after capturing the girls’ Class Two discus with a distance of 43.88m. Katya Christie of Vere Technical was second with 41.92m, and Tauntyae Sherman of St Elizabeth Technical finished third with 38.09m.

Three records were broken in the sprint hurdles during semifinal action, with Wolmer’s Girls’ Tiana Marshall clocking a personal best 12.98 seconds to break the old mark of 13.00.

Azarria Harris of Convent of Mercy, Alpha broke the girls’ Class Three 80m hurdles record, winning in 10.85 to erase the previous mark of 10.87. Daniela Clarke of Edwin Allen, who finished second behind Harris in 10.82s, was also inside the old record. Her teammate, defending champion Tashana Godfrey, was the fastest qualifier with 10.72 but her time was wind-aided.

Hydel’s Class Four athlete Keneisha Robinson equalled the 70m hurdles record after clocking 10.38 to be the fastest qualifier.

Marquies Page of St Jago High also wrote his name in the record books after winning his semifinal of the boys’ Class Two 110m hurdles in an excellent 12.98 seconds. He is the first Class Two to go under 12 seconds for event. The previous record was 13.26 set by Vashaun Vascianna, also of St Jago High, on March 30, 2019.