Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sports, the Honourable Olivia Grange along with Devon Biscuits brand manager Sherene Bryan presented the INSPORTS/Devon Biscuits National Primary schools winning trophy to champions Lyssons Primary school.
Lyssons Primary of St Thomas easily retained their INSPORTS/Devon Biscuits National Primary Schools Athletics title and walked away with a whopping $500,000 at the National Stadium on Saturday.
Lyssons amassed 188 points and were well clear of the St Catherine-based teams Spanish Town (168), Naggo Head (160) and Greater Portmore (105). Harbour View of St Andrew completed the top 5 with 88.5 points.
Lyssons, who won the regional Eastern championship and pocketed $250,000 has now garnered $750,000 for their efforts while Spanish Town, who won the Central title but finished second here, collected $250,000 and $500,000 overall.
Naggo Head collected $200,000 for third while the teams finishing fourth to tenth will get $100,000 each.
The impressive Jevaney Findlay of Spanish Town and Shaquan Reid of Glen Stuart were the Male champions with 18 points while Danelia Clarke of St Patrick’s and Shanayah Jacques of Red Hill were the female overall champions.
Findlay, who has all the high school scouts at his doorstep, won the 200m in style, stopping the clock at 24.63 running into a headwind of -2.1 mps as the record of 24.02 held by Christopher Taylor since 2012 remained intact.
Daniel Buchanan of St Jude’s Primary was second in 26.28 ahead of Andre Genus of Mountainside Primary (26.45).
Clarke captured the girls’ 200m in 26.44 ahead of Rihanna Scott of Rock Hall in 26.60. Chelseann Samuels of Half Way Tree Primary was third in 27.01.
Woodlands Primary secured their first gold courtesy of Rihanna Gayle in the girls Class Two 200m.
Gayle who was sixth in the 100m on Friday, won comfortably in 27.62 (-3.4) ahead of Shanice Williams of Greater Portmore (27.95). Lyssons’ Khalia Raymond was third in 28.10.
Rousseau Primary’s Deandre Parker struck gold in the boys’ Class Two 200m in 26.85 (-2.8), denying Daniel Glave of Red Hills Primary who was second in 27.10, the 400, 200m double. Mercado Williams of Naggo Head was third in 27.13.
Red Hills Primary secured another win as Shanayah Jacques won the Class Three 150m in 21.08 (2.2). Sarah McDonald of Naggo Head was second in 21.39.
Shaquwan Reid of Glen Stuart Primary won the Class Three boys 150m in 20.55 (-3.3) ahead of Davere Walker of Lyssons (20.64). Zidon Morgan of Ascot Primary was third in 21.25.
John Mills showed that they are doing something right in the vertical jumps following Sanique Watt’s victory in the girls’ section and Daquan Dawk’s win in the boys’ equivalent with a leap of 1.54m. Jamar Edwards of Lyssons was second with 1.49m.
In the girls 70m hurdles event, John Mills continued their good form, securing the quinella as Rememha Dixon won in 11.86 and was followed home Kayla Lewis in 12.04.
Hanif Jones of Glen Stuart won boys’ 70 hurdles in 10.74 (-2.0) ahead of Nique Barnes of Naggo Head in 10.77. Daquan Dawkins of John Mills was third in 11.45.
In an impressive display of speed and endurance, Obrian Clarke of Glen Stuart Primary won the boys 800m open in 2:22.76, well clear of Jaylon Campbell of Polly Ground Primary in second with 2:27.50. Rajuan Morgan of Carisbrook Primary finished third in 2:28.16.
Lyssons’ Christassia Pearce took the girls’ 800m in 2:32.60 in a close battle with Renica Coombs of Spanish Town (2:32.76). Christina Clarke of Harbour View was third in 2:35.43.
Spanish Town won the Sprint Medley in 2:00.45 and was just outside the record of 1:58.56 held by New Providence since 2012. Lyssons was some way back in 2:07.48 after battling the winners until the last 200m before fading. St Richards’ closed fast and finished third in 2:07.48.
New Providence struck gold in the 4x200m relay winning in 1:53.20 and held off Naggo Head who were second in 1:53.45. St Patrick’s finished third with 1:53.61.
Fittingly the outstanding boy athlete of the meet, Jevaney Findlay secured his third gold running a scorching second leg setting the stage for an easy win for Spanish Town in the final event, the boys’ 4x200m in 1:47.31.
Naggo Head was second with 1:48.08 and third went to St Jude’s Primary with 1:49.07.
Shericka Jackson on the verge of becoming the greatest women combined sprinter of all time
Two-time world 200m champion Shericka Jackson is now the second-best female combined sprinter of all time and could soon to become the greatest of all time if she runs faster in the 100m, 200m or 400m in the coming season.
As at the end of the 2022/2023 season when she won her second 200m world title in championship record time of 21.41 at the World Championships, Jackson now boasts personal best time of 10.65 in the 200m, 21.41 in the 200m and 49.47 in the 400m.
The super-talented Jamaican, who is also the only athlete to win global medals in all three events, has amassed ranking points of 1277 for her lifetime best of 10.65 in the 100m, 1301 for her national record time of 21.41 in the 200m and 1227 for her personal best 49.47 in the 400m for a tally of 3805 points.
Only one woman has more points and that is Germany’s Marita Koch, who ran times of 10.83 for the 100m, 21.71 for the 200m and a remarkable 47.60, the world record, for the 400m for a total of 3809 points.
It was not that long ago that Jackson was further down the list behind the likes of Florence Griffith-Joyner (3), Marion Jones (4), Shaunae Miller-Uibo (5), Allyson Felix (6), Gwen Torrence (7) and Marie Jose Perec, (8) all of whom are ranked among the top 10 best combined sprinters in history.
She is the highest-ranked Jamaican with the iconic Merlene Ottey (10.74/21.64/51.12) ranked 13th, Grace Jackson (11.08/21.72/49.57) ranked 16th and Veronica Campbell-Brown (10.76/21.74/52.24) ranked 22nd.
In fact, in 2021, Jackson was 21st in the list before her outstanding performances over the last three seasons saw her rocket up the list to the number two slot. In 2021, Jackson has lifetimes bests of 10.76/21.81/49.47 for the 100m, 200m and 400m, respectively.
Breaking the world record of 21.34 in the 200m, a goal that is well within her reach, dipping under 10.60 for the 100m or running 48 seconds over the 400m and she will take her rightful place of Greatest Of All Time among women combined sprinters.
Dafne Schippers' race 'stops here': Two-time world champion, hampered by injury, hangs up her spikes
Two-time 200m world champion Dafne Schippers, who famously chased down and beat Jamaica’s Elaine Thompson-Herah at the line in the finals at the 2015 World Athletics Championships in Beijing, China, has retired.
The 31-year-old Dutchwoman, who won a silver medal in the 100m final behind Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce that year, has been plagued by injury over the past few years, impairing her ability to compete at the highest level.
On Tuesday, she announced on Instagram that her race has been run.
“The race stops here,” she announced.
“As an athlete, you always know this day will come, that at one point, your career will be a moment in time—a collection of memories and hopefully medals. Today, I have decided to take my life off track to pursue and embrace whatever comes next, but not without saying a massive thank you for all the endless support. It has been a journey without regret.”
She expressed gratitude to all who have supported in a career that did not quite materialize in the way she would have liked.
“My family, my team, my fans, and my sponsors, you made it all worthwhile.”
At her peak, Schippers was among the greatest ever short sprinters.
She set a championship record of 21.63 in Beijing after chasing down Thompson-Herah and nipping the Jamaican, who ran a then personal best of 21.66, at the line. Veronica Campbell-Brown was third in 21.97.
At the time, Schippers’ time was the third-fastest ever run over the half-lap sprint. Only Florence Griffith-Joyner (21.34) and Marion Jones (21.62) had run faster. The Dutchwoman had earlier run a lifetime best 10.81 to win the silver medal behind Fraser-Pryce in the 100m final.
At the 2016 Rio Olympics, Schippers won the silver medal behind Thompson-Herah in the 200m, running a time of 21.88. She was a disappointing fifth in the 100m final due to injury. She won the 200m world title at the 2017 World Championships and was third in the 100m.
An adductor injury forced her to withdraw from the 2019 World Championships in Doha and persistent back injuries limited her ability to compete internationally for more than a year. She last raced in the 100m in Belgium in July 2022 finishing second in her heat in 11.37.
Iconic track and field coach Glen Mills Honoured at People Profile Awards 2023
Coach Glen Mills, the renowned track and field guru, was the center of attention at the Annual People Profile Awards on Sunday, September 24.
Held at the Faith Centre in Sunrise, Florida, the black-tie red-carpet affair, sponsored by the Housing Foundation of America, not only celebrated exceptional individuals and organizations within the community but also paid tribute to luminaries in the music industry and sports.
Coach Glen Mills received special recognition for his contributions to the world of track and field, along with Consul General R. Oliver Mair, who was honored with the President's Award.
Mills, whose career as a track and field coach, has spanned five decades, developed some of Jamaica’s greatest sprinters including 100/200m world record holder Usain Bolt, the fastest man in history who is also an eight-time Olympic gold medalist and 11-time world champion.
Mills also developed Yohan Blake, the youngest man to win a 100m world title in 2011 and Warren Weir, the 2012 Olympic 200m bronze medalist.
Mills also coached Raymond Stewart to the Olympic 100m final at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles while he was fresh out of Camperdown High School where Mills helped cement a legacy for the school that would eventually be dubbed ‘The Sprint Factory’ having produced such luminaries like Leroy Reid and Remaldo Rose.
Mills is currently the coach of Oblique Seville, who was fourth in the 100m finals in 2022 and 2023.
Founded by Lecturer/Businessman Dr. Allan Cunningham in 2015, the People Profile Awards aim to recognize individuals whose stories inspire, motivate, or educate others while supporting charitable causes.
Under the theme "Together We Are Stronger," the People Profile Organization collaborated with the University of Fort Lauderdale, aligning their vision to prioritize people, education, and community. This partnership is set to create a lasting impact on the community.
The People Profile Awards 2023 featured an evening filled with entertainment, promising an unforgettable experience for all attendees.
The awards ceremony encompassed 16 categories, including "Humanitarian," "Media," "Sportsman of the Year," and "Courage" Awards.
Norman Hemming assumed the role of host for this grand celebration of excellence.
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