‘Big-up’ these Athletes Jauavney James
Jauavney James of STETHS continues to excite T&F fans wherever he goes. How could a genuine T&F fan not be excited by a young man who told his coach that the 400m, 800, and 1500m were not sufficient? Reports are that in 2015, in his final year in class 2,he requested the addition of the 400m hurdles to add interest to his workload. James competed in the 400m hurdles and 800m as well as the 4x400m relay at the Inter-Secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA)/GraceKennedy Boys and Girls’ Athletic Championships (Champs) 2016.
On Champs Thursday James duly won the 400m hurdles in 51.09 using the patented late burst over the final hurdle, to which we have become accustomed. In doing so, he showed a burst of speed which seemed out of place, for a man who had already sprinted 50 seconds, to cross the last of 10 hurdles, 91.4 cm or 3 feet high.
James won the 400m hurdles in Boys Class 2 at Champs 2015 and lost the 800m in a battle royal to the fresh legs of his main competitor Leon Clarke. In 2016 they would repeat the events of 2015 but Nathan Brown of Excelsior would interrupt the battle of Clarke and James in the class 1 boys 800m.
The cagy Brown realizing that Clarke and James were playing cat and mouse started his bid for home about 150 metres out with Clarke in the lead. With 80 metres to go Clarke was fighting to hold off Brown and James was seemingly out of the race. Brown slipped in front of Clarke at around 50 metres to go and the roar of the crowd signaled the onrushing James. But James had left it a second too late. He almost edged out Clarke but Brown was safely home, and was celebrating like a man who had not only won but had outsmarted his rivals and confirmed his strategy whilepicking their pockets.We must wait another.
We look forward to his further exploits at the CARIFTA Games where his only individual event will be the 400 metre hurdles.
Junelle Bromfield
Junelle Bromfield won the 1500 metre race at Champs 2016 in a time of 4:40.77 seconds. The amazing thing about that 4:40.77 seconds is that Asshanni Robb of Edwin Allen High did the very same time. Yes my esteemed T&F fan, you read it right, after 1500 metres it took three decimal places of a second to separate the two competitors. In her first year in class 1 and painting only in the colour gold, she would go on to add the 800m and 400m victories to her palette on Champs Saturday.
She competed in the 400m and 800m on Champs Saturday when she completed the 400m in 41.74 which is an amazing time for a first year class 1 girl. The barrier of 52 seconds hasbeen breached by schoolgirls on only two previous occasions -Sunita Sutherlandin 2006 andSherika Jackson in 2013. She completed the 800m in 2:09.70, over three seconds ahead of her nearest rival Britney Brown 2:13.49.
Last year Junelle Bromfield chose to do the 400h hurdles apparently to relieve the same boredom that Jauavney James was experiencing. It turned out to be a tough learning curve for her at Champs as she literally ran into trouble on the last bend. Her redemption at CARIFTA Games in St. Kitts was a sweet 59.55 seconds to take the gold in the under 18 girls 400m hurdles.
It may be that Junelle Bromfield’s only fault is that she makes it look so ridiculously easy. Her running style is reminiscent of a jog in the park. Nothing is labored about Junelle Bromfield’s running. And yet I cannot recall a first year class 1 athlete taking three individual gold medals at Champs. How good is Junelle Bromfield? The CARIFTA Games in Grenada where her workload will be no more than two individual events and a leg on the girls 4x400m relay will give us a hint.
