Bouwahjgie Nkrumie and Jeevan Newby are both into the final of the Men’s 100m as the 2023 Pan-Am Junior Championships got underway on Friday at the Jose A. Figueroa Freire Stadium in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico.

Newby, who was runner-up at Jamaica’s National Junior Championships in July, narrowly won heat two of three in 10.75 into a -2.7 m/s headwind to advance to the final. The USA’s Cameron Tarver finished just one hundredth of a second behind to also progress.

Nkrumie, who became the first Jamaican junior to run under 10 seconds when he ran 9.99 for gold at the ISSA Boys and Girls Championships in March, ran a comfortable 10.60 into a -2.6 m/s headwind to win his heat and advance. Puerto Rico’s Adrian Canales Correa also made it through with 10.67 while Antigua and Barbuda’s Shaviqua Bascus ran 10.76 to advance as well.

The fastest qualifier to the final was the USA’s Tyler Azcano who ran 10.58 to win the first heat ahead of Canada’s Storm Zablocki (10.72) and Antigua and Barbuda’s Ajani Daley (10.74). Both Zablocki and Daley made it through to the final.

On the Women’s side, Jamaica’s Alana Reid and Asharria Ulett as well as Barbados’ Khristel Martindale all made it through to the final.

Reid, Jamaica’s national junior record holder with 10.92 done at the ISSA Boys and Girls Championships in March, ran 11.96 into a -2.6 m/s headwind to win heat three. Ulett ran 12.14 to finish fourth in heat two and progress while Martindale ran 12.19 to finish second in heat one.

The American pair of Kaila Jackson and Camryn Dickson were the fastest qualifiers with times of 11.47 and 11.75, respectively.

Both finals are set for Friday night.

Edwin Allen’s Theianna-Lee Terrelonge and Javorne Dunkley of St Elizabeth Technical were crowned national Under-20 girls’ and boys’ 100-metre champions, after both staved off tough challenges from rivals on day two of the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA)/Puma National Junior Championships at the National Stadium on Friday.

Terrelonge, who was fairly comfortable throughout the rounds, was seemingly reserving her energy for a big performance which came in the form of a new personal best 11.47 seconds in a positive 1.4 metres per second wind speed.

The 15-year-old, whose previous personal best was 11.49s, held off her older Edwin Allen teammate Tonie-Ann Forbes (11.49s) and the fast-finishing St Catherine’s Asharria Ulett, who also bettered her previous personal best of 11.67s, with her 11.55s-clocking for third.

Dunkley, 18, then followed suit with an even more impressive showing. He got out well from lane four and had rivals struggling in his wake at the half-way point, before powering through the line to stop the clock in 10.17s in a positive 1.2 metres per second reading.

That smashed Dunkley’s previous best of 10.59s, as he won ahead of Jeevan Newby (10.26s) of Motorcade Track Club and Camperdown’s Junior Harris (10.32s).

Holy Childhood’s Abigail Wolfe expectedly topped the girls’ Under-18 100m final in comfortable fashion in a 0.9 metres per second tailwind. She covered the distance in 11.76s, ahead of Canelia Hope (11.95s) of Camperdown and Athletico’s Shanoya Douglas (12.05s).

Another St Elizabeth Technical standout Tramaine turned back the challenge of the Wolmer’s Boys pair of Gary Card and Ainsley McGregor, to win the boys’ Under-18 crown.

Todd clocked 10.46s for the win in a positive 1.2 metres reading, as Card and McGregor who both achieved new personal best marks of 10.61s and 10.66s respectively, had to settle for the minor placing.

Earlier, Chennai Jarrett of St Elizabeth Technical topped the girls’ Under-18 400m hurdles event in a time of 1:01.52, ahead of Rhianna Lewis (1:04.51) of Rhodes Hall and Covent of Mercy’s Halyncia Henry (1:05.95).

The Under-20 girls’ event was won by Edwin Allen’s Tonyan Beckford, who continued her superb form with a 58.78s-clocking. T’Kyla Bennett (1:02.26) of Excelsior and Titchfield’s Vanessa Ward (1:04.23) took the minor placing.

Daniel Wright of Excelsior proved too strong for rivals in the boys’ Under-18 400m hurdles, as he went out hard in the early stages and wasn’t for catching. He stopped the clock in 50.82s, ahead of Hebert Morrison’s Trevoy Smith, who clocked a new personal best 50.41s and Deandre Gayle of Jamaica College who also achieved a personal best 52.63s.

Meanwhile, St Jago’s Jaheene Bell won the boys’ Under-20 event in a new personal best 51.30s, with Antonio Forbes (51.54s) of Kingston College and Tyrece Hyman (51.60s) of MVP as the runners up.

In the field, Jamaica College’s Michael-Andre Edwards was the lone competitor to record a jump over seven metres, as he claimed the Under-18 boys’ long jump title with a mark of 7.20m.

The Old Hope Road athlete finished well ahead of Coke High’s Anthony Hall, who registered a jump of 6.83m for second, and Javid Malcolm (6.07m) of Petersfield High.

It was Munro College’s Javontae Smith, who came out on top in the Under-18 boys’ shot put with a throw of 16.63m. Kingston College’s Despiro Wray (16.17m), was not too far off in second, while a mark of 13.28m was enough to clinch the third-place spot for Joseph Salmon of Clarendon College.

Jaeda Robinson and Davine Dickenson, the duo from Immaculate Conception, claimed a one-three finish in the Under-18 girls’ triple jump.

Robinson achieved her best mark in the second-round when she cut the sand at 11.90m for the win, while Dickenson recorded a jump of 11.12m for third. They were separated St Catherine High’s Rohanna Sudlow separated the pair for the runner-up spot with a best mark of 11.73m.

Aided by a strong tail wind, the boys’ Under-20 long jump competitors produced some big leaps, as Royan Walters of Kingston College finished tops with a mark of 7.75m in a positive 3.4 metres per second reading. He bettered the St Jago pair of Demario Prince and Balvin Israel were second and third with mark of 7.62m and 7.32m respectively.