National Junior Championships 2016 Day 1
Raheem Chambers of St Jago High took the Under 20 Boys 100 metres in 10.70 seconds on day 1 (June 18, 2016) of the Supreme Ventures LimitedJamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA) National Junior Championships, at the National Stadium. Kingston College’s Jhevaughn Matherson was second in 10.77, Fabian Hewitt of Calabar High took third in 10.80 and Hujaye Cornwall of St Elizabeth Technical placed fourth in 10.80.
Carifta U20 Boys 100m champion and pre-race favourite, St Elizabeth Technical’s Nigel Ellis, was disqualified in the heats for false starting. In the finals, Chambers got his usual shotgun start and led from start to finish. Matherson seemed to play it safe and got off to a very slow start finding himself behind Chambers, Fabian Hewett and Hujaye Cornwall in that order after 20 metres. It took some running for the fast finishing Matherson to pass Cornwall at 60m and Hewitt who had beaten him in the heats at 90m but Chambers was safely out of reach.
Chambers blamed the negative 1.8 m/s wind for his relatively slow time.
“The wind was very heavy and affected my time, but I have no problem with that as my aim was to just go out there and win. I am confident that my coach, Danny Hawthorne, will get me ready to medal at the World Junior Championships,” said Chambers.
Running just before the boys, the girls ran into a gust of 5.5 metres per second. Rushelle Burton of Camperdown High took the lead to 80m before Patrice Moody passed her to pick up the win in 12.16 seconds. Vanesha Pusey of Green Island High was second in 12.17, Burton took third in 12.22 and Shanice Reid of St Jago was fourth. Shellece Clarke of Edwin Allen and Kimone Shaw of St Jago representing the U18s were respectively fifth and sixth.
Moody said she was always confident of victory. “Although I went into the final with the seventh fastest time, I was very confident of victory despite the heavy wind blowing against us,” Moody said.
Defending World Junior 400 metres hurdles champion Jaheel Hyde in 51.47 secondsdid just enough to hold off U18 Carifta champion Timor Barrett of St Jago (51.76) who with third-placed Aykeeme Francis (51.86) of Calabar, and fourth-placed Sherwayne Allen (51.97) of Kingston College all clocked personal best times.
Shannon Kalawan of Edwin Allen High had only two competitors and was an easy winner of the girls’ 400m hurdles in 59.45.
Sanjae Lawrence with 19.45m and teammate from Petersfield High Kevin Nedrick, 19.18mupset favourite Warren Barrett of Calabar (19.09m) who took third.
In another upset in the boys’ Under-20 long jump as St Jago’s Shawn Thompson, with a better gliding technique used the positive wind of 3.3 metres per second and won with 7.79m. AlrickOtteyof Cornwall College (3.3 mps) was second with 7.60m, while Kingston College’s ShakwanCoke aided by a 5 mps gust, was third with 7.45m. Favourite Obrien Wasome of Jamaica College was fourth with 5.64m.
