Jamaicans look to do damage in the field at Penn Relays

After winning the Championships of America High School Boys triple jump at last year’s Penn Relays in Philadelphia, Michael-Andre Edwards of Jamaica College will be hoping to make it back-to-back wins when he contests the event this Friday at the event’s 130th staging.

Edwards will be among a large number of male and female local high school athletes competing in the field events at the meet.

Captain of the successful Jamaica team at the recent ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys and Girls’ Athletics Championships (Champs), Edwards, who won at Penns last year with a distance of 15.95 metres, has been in fine form this season.

He took the Champs title with a season’s best 16.25m and also won at the Carifta Games. He will be joined in the event by Rekelme Hunter and Demario Clarke of Kingston College, Antonio Anderson of Calabar, and the Wolmer’ Boys’ duo of Rushane Francis and Kabika Thomas.

Edwin Allen High’s Addison James will also defend his title in the boys’ javelin throw.

After a second-place finish last year in the boys’ discus with 61.64 metres, Joseph Salmon of Jamaica College looks well set to go one place higher when he contests the event.

Salmon is also in top form this season, as shown at Champs where he won the Class One event with a personal and World Under-20 best of 67.55m. He followed that performance with victory at the Carifta Games, winning the Under-20 event with 65.38m. Also contesting the event will be Deijan Budhai of Kingston College and Kamari Kennedy of Calabar.

Other field events on the male side where Jamaicans will be competing include the shot put, featuring Nksosana Johnson of Kingston College, Javantae Smith of Munro, and Khaleel Henry of Calabar.

Santino Distiin of St Elizabeth Technical, along with the Kingston College duo of Tejahni Jaynes and Michael Neil will contest the high jump.

In the long jump, there will be Omarion Miller of Kingston College, Javor Cato of Jamaica College and Talshawn Edwards of Calabar.

In the women’s discus, Dionjah Shaw (Edwin Allen), Abigail Bennett (Merl Grove), Janella Young (Clarendon College), and Jamie Lee Tulloch (Immaculate) are down to compete

While in the girls’ shot put, the island’s high schoolers will be represented by

Marla-Jay Lampart (Clarendon College), Sage Cruickshank (Convent of Mercy Academy), and Gabriel Merchant of (Vere).

There will also be girls competing in the javelin, and in the long, high, and triple jumps.

Zoelle Jamel of Immaculate will be the only Jamaica down to contest the javelin, while the Convent of Mercy’s Rejauna Pryce will do battle in the long jump.

Malia Housen of Mount ALvernia and Sackoya Palmer of St Mary High make the trip to face the high-jump bar, while in the triple jump, Hydel’s Zavien Bernard, Holmwood’s Mikayla Longmore, and Vere Technical’s Martina Moxam will use a hop, skip, and jump to chase glory.