Kingston's Hope Botanical Gardens played host to an exhilarating display of athleticism on Father's Day as more than 2,000 participants gathered for the highly anticipated 'Everyone's a Winner/The Best Dressed Chicken 3K and 5K' road race.
Noel Ellis and Jozanne Harris emerged victorious in the fiercely competitive 5K category, while Javon Sawyers and Kanesha Beckford claimed victory in the 3K event.
Representing Team Link Up, Ellis showcased speed and endurance, crossing the finish line in an impressive time of 15:52 to claim the 5K title. Kemar Leslie of Rainforest Caribbean was hot on his heels, completing the race in 16:04, a mere 12 seconds behind. Ryon Chambers of Advanced Integrated secured a well-deserved podium spot with a time of 17:09.
Jozanne Harris dominated the women's 5K category, leaving her competitors in the dust with an outstanding time of 20:20. Deidre Lewis of Sagicor Group Jamaica took second place, clocking in at 24:33, while Keshia Haughton secured third place with a time of 24:40.
In the highly contested 3K race, Javon Sawyers emerged as the clear winne completing the course in an impressive time of 11:33. Paul McBean finished as the runner-up, crossing the finish line in 13:13, followed closely by Omar Simpson of Trainfit, who secured third place with a time of 13:28.
Kanesha Beckford displayed her remarkable endurance in the women's 3K category, finishing first with a time of 13:54. Jullite Reeves of MD Run Group claimed the second spot, completing the course in 17:14, followed closely by Kaelyn Lawes of JN Group, who secured third place with a time of 17:19.
The Rainforest Caribbean team emerged as the top-performing team, achieving an average time of 19:49. The team, consisting of Kemar Leslie, Carlisle Russell, Jhevaughn Robinson, and Phillip Bushay, delivered a solid showing to secure the team title.
The race also featured the Father and Son 3K Awards, with the pairs of Micah Lee and Ching Chin Lee, Caleb Rose and Nathaniel Rose, and Micah Rose and Conroy Rose emerging as the top three finishers with impressive times of 21:06, 29:45, and 29:47, respectively. The Intcomex Team, composed of Douglas James, Lela James, and Terry-Ann James, clinched the third spot with a combined time of 32:33, 32:35, and 32:49, respectively.
The Father and Son 5K Awards saw the Salada Foods pair of Mathew and Stephen Lloyd emerged victors with times of 24:37 and 31:28, respectively. Abigail Royes and Stephen Royes, who represented the Pacers Running Club crossed the line in second place with identical times of 32:37 while Nathan and Naranda Wellington from BodyByBugs took third place with times of 36:53 and 36:54, respectively.
Ricketts opens season with 14.50m to win triple jump at Jamaica Athletics Invitational
Jamaica’s Shanieka Ricketts provided her home fans with a solid performance to win the women’s triple jump at the inaugural Jamaica Athletics Invitational at the National Stadium in Kingston on Saturday.
The two-time World Championships silver medallist produced a best jump of 14.50m on her first attempt that proved to be enough to win in the end.
American Jasmine Moore had a best jump of 14.28m for second while Dominican World Indoor Champion Thea Lafond jumped 14.22m in the sixth and final round to clinch third.
“I feel exceptional. I usually get started with my season much earlier but this year we decided to get a few things corrected before coming into competition,” Ricketts said following the competition.
“Competing with world class athletes who have been doing well indoors as well really pushed me and gave me a good implication of where I’m at this season,” she added.
The 2022 Commonwealth Champion also spoke on competing in Jamaica.
“It’s always a pleasure to compete in Kingston. Usually, I try to do a meet here before going overseas to compete in the Diamond League. The crowd has warmed up to the jumps because of how well I’ve been doing overseas over the years. I’m always grateful for the support,” she said.
Great Britain’s Hughes, Asher-Smith get 200m victories at Jamaica Athletics Invitational
Great Britain’s Zharnel Hughes and Dina Asher-Smith took victories in the men’s and women’s 200m events at the inaugural Jamaica Athletics Invitational at the National Stadium in Kingston on Saturday.
Hughes, a bronze medallist in the 100m at last year’s World Championships in Budapest, produced a season’s best 19.96 to win ahead of American Fred Kerley (20.17) and France’s Pablo Mateo (20.20).
“I feel really good. I think this is my second 200m race of the season. When I opened up I wasn’t ready so tonight I was just testing out the waters. We’re starting to sharpen up but not as much because it’s a long season,” Hughes said after the race.
“To run 19.96 now, I’m very happy. I just need to stay healthy and continue to execute my races accordingly and everything will be okay,” he added.
2019 World Champion Asher-Smith narrowly won the women’s event in 22.51 ahead of the Ivory Coast’s Jessika Gbai (22.53) with Jamaica’s Lanae-Tava Thomas running 22.84 for third.
Asher-Smith says she was hoping for a quicker time and has some things to work on.
“I’m in really good shape so I was hoping to get a quicker time today. Clearly, I’ve got some stuff that I’ve got to work on so I’m going to go back to Austin and work on them but I’m happy to have won here in Jamaica,” she said.
USA’s Holmes, Great Britain’s Hudson-Smith win 400m races at Jamaica Athletics Invitational
American Alexis Holmes and great Britain’s Matthew Hudson-Smith emerged as the winners of the women’s and men’s 400m races at the inaugural Jamaica Athletics Invitational at the National Stadium in Kingston on Saturday.
Holmes, a member of the USA’s gold medal-winning mixed relay team at the World Championships in Budapest last year and the World Relays this year in Nassau, ran 50.31 to lead an American 1-2-3 with Brittany Brown running 51.21 in second and Naasha Robinson running 51.81 in third.
“I had a lot of fun. The energy was great,” Holmes said after the race.
“I was expecting a smooth race and just trying to get the win. I just try to stay relaxed and poised because I know I have a strong finish,” she added.
The men’s race saw World Championship silver medallist Matthew Hudson-Smith produce 44.69 to take the win ahead of American Matthew Boling (44.98) and Jamaica’s Zandrion Barnes (45.41).
“I’m a lot more healthier this year. I’ve got the best team in the world. My coach Gary Evans is a man with a plan and this year it’s all about being healthy when it matters,” he said after the race.
“It was a good executed race. We just wanted to come home strong and be composed. I’ve got Oslo, Europeans, Monaco and London so I’ve got a lot more races and training,” he added.
The Brit also gave props to World Champion Antonio Watson who ran 45.61 for fifth.
“Listen, he’s the reigning World Champion so I’ve got to give him respect. He came out here in front of his people and raced. He delivered when it mattered,” he said.
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