# 21, CBar rules the roost!

[Stonigut]

[Jangle]

[Sir X]

Favourites oblige
Calabar, Holmwood retain titles at ChampsBY KAYON RAYNOR Senior Observer staff reporter raynork@jamaicaobserver.com
Sunday, March 16, 2008


Nickel Ashmeade of St Jago created the upset of the 2008 ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys' and Girls' Athletics Championship by winning the Class One 200 metres in a star-studded field, which included World Youth champion and national 100m record-holder Yohan Blake, yesterday.
At the end of the meet at the National Stadium, defending champions Calabar High retained the Boys' title with 277.5 points, while Holmwood secured their sixth straight lien of the Girls' crown with 352 points.
Nickel Ashmeade of St Jago (second left) and Ramone McKenzie of Calabar (right) dip for the line in the Boys' Class One 200 metres on the final day of the ISSA/GraceKennedy Athletics Championships at the National Stadium last night. Ashmeade won in 21.04secs ahead of McKenzie, with 100m champion Yohan Blake of St Jago, third. (Photo: Collin Reid)
Kingston College were second in the boys' standings with 233, followed by St Jago on 155.5, Jamaica College 153, and Wolmer's on 128 rounding out the top five on the boys' side.
Andrew Riley of Calabar and Salcia Slack of Holmwood were the overall champion boy and girl, respectively, of the meet.
World Youth 100m and 200m silver medallist, Ashmeade, produced a scorching last 20 metres sprint to catch and nip Calabar's Ramone McKenzie on the finish-line in 21.04 seconds into a strong head wind (-2.1 p/s).
McKenzie, who had posted 46.32secs to win the 400 metres three hours earlier, was beaten by 0.01 second in his favoured half-lap race. Blake, who led the race for the most part, faded badly and had to settle for bronze in 21.31secs. Incidentally, for the first time in the history of the meet, the top seven finalists went below 22secs. Jason Young of William Knibb was fourth in 21.70, Dexter Lee of Herbert Morrison fifth (21.76), Jamaica College's Winston Barnes sixth (21.84) and Oshane Bailey of Calabar seventh (21.97). Darrion Bent of Mannings High did not finish the race.
The Class Two equivalent went to Calabar's Travis Drummond - the Class Three champion and record holder (22.17secs) from last season - in 22.40secs. Teivaskie Lewin of Herbert Morrison was second in 22.45secs ahead of Munro College's Rolando Reid in 22.65secs.
Jazeel Murphy returned 22.62 to win the Class Three event ahead Odean Skeen of Wolmer's (23.02) and 100-metre gold medallist Adam Cummings of Munro College (23.28secs).
Yesterday's victory was Calabar's 21st lien on the Mortimor Geddes trophy in the 97-year history of the meet, which was first staged in 1910. Their first win came in 1930. No competition was held in 1944.
Michael Clarke, a former student/athlete at Calabar, was registering his 10th hold on the trophy, having won once with St Jago (1987), seven times with JC (1991, '92, '94, '95, '98, '99, and 2000 as well as last year with his alma mater. The Calabar head coach told the Sunday Observer that this victory meant a lot to the school in an academic year that saw the school family losing legendary Olympian Herb McKenley, as well as David Hunt, the Kingston College old boy who coached the football team to victory in the last school year, and acting principal Jennifer Gordon.
"The last academic year was a tumultuous one, but hopefully now with the victory it can help the boys settle down somewhat," said Clarke, who admitted that he had not yet "processed the victory". Holmwood's coach Maurice Wilson said it was a difficult Champs, given their problems with break-ins among other things. "If it was a close Champs we would have lost," Wilson said.
Earlier, McKenzie turned in a spectacular performance to win the Class One 400m in 46.32secs. Running in lane eight, McKenzie, who posted a record 47.24secs to win the Class Two event last season, outsprinted defending champion Ryker Hylton (46.33secs) of St Jago and even had time to strike a pose while crossing the finish line. Darrion Bent of Mannings took the bronze with 46.54secs.
Lewin of Herbert Morrison led from start to finish to capture the Class Two equivalent in 48.63secs ahead of a fast finishing André Pickersgill of KC (49.00) and A-Shawni Mitchell of Wolmer's (49.08). It was Lewin's second medal of the Championships, having taken silver in the long jump on Friday.
Carlton Cousins of Calabar timed his run to perfection to past favourite Demar Levy of St Elizabeth Technical in the last 20 metres to win the Class Three event in 51.99secs.
Levy, the western champion, took silver in 52.36, while Deveraux Senior of Wolmer's did 52.69 for bronze.
KC just failed to sweep the sprint hurdles by two thousandth of a second after a photo-finish in the Class One 110-metre hurdles between defending champion Keiron Stewart and 2006 winner Akeem Smith of St Jago. The stewards first ruled the race a dead-heat with both athletes clocking 13.83secs into a strong head wind (-3.3 p/s). However, after about 20 minutes of reviewing the tape, Smith was adjudged the winner with 13.822secs, with National Junior record holder (13.49secs) Stewart second in 13.824.
It was Stewart's second medal of the meet after taking gold the 400 hurdles Open title on Friday. Heptathlon champion Andrew Riley of Calabar took bronze in 14.13secs, while his teammate and pre-race favourite Warren Weir had to settle for seventh after a very poor start.
In the Class Two event, KC's D'Omar Boyden posted 14.70secs (wind -3.8 p/s) to improve his third-place finish from Champs 2007. The Calabar duo of Travis Drummond and Ramon Miller completed the podium places with 14.77 and 14.95, respectively.
In Class Three, KC's Stefan Fennell clocked 13.68secs (wind -2.8 p/s) to win the 100 hurdles ahead of the Wolmer's pair of Odean Skeen (13.98secs) and Deveraux Senior (14.98secs).
Campion College's Theon O'Connor ended his Boys' Champs career by completing his sixth straight 800-metres triumph. The lanky runner recorded 54.51secs in the first 400 metres before collecting the gold medal in one minute, 51. 21secs. Last year he won the event in one minute, 52.5 secs.
The Brian Phillpotts-coached athlete told the Sunday Observer that while he was disappointed with the time he was pleased about his achievements at Boys' Championships. "This is definitely my crowning moment, seeing that I've won six straight, it's a great achievement for me," said O'Connor, who noted that his training was disrupted because of a hamstring problem in the weeks leading up to the meet. "That's gone now, but I had to back off training for a week, so that kind of messed with my preparation a bit, but I plan to start back full flight, in order to make the World Junior Championship team," he added.
Conroy Crossman of Edwin Allen captured the silver in one min, 53.03 ahead of 1,500m champion Andre Thomas, who did one min, 54.38secs for the bronze.
Waquar DaCosta, who won the Class Three event in a record 1 min, 58.06 in 2007, ran a brilliant last 300 metres to win the Class Two event in 1 min, 57.77secs, adding to his 1,500-metre victory from Friday. Earl Grant completed the quinella for JC with 1:58.22mins ahead Kevin White of Holmwood Technical (1:59.20) for the bronze.
The Class Three equivalent went to Stephen Rose in 2 minutes, 02.23 followed by JC's Romaine Headman (2:03.40) and Josef Thomas of Ardenne in 2 mins, 03.41.
In the field, Javon Hardware of Calabar won his third straight high jump title by clearing 2.05 metres to retain his Class Two crown. The Keith Wright-conditioned jumper had cleared 2.06 to win the event last year and 1.96m in 2006 to win in the Class Three crown.
KC's Jonathan Reid took silver with 2.00m, while there was a three-way tie for third among Kemar Lewis of Wolmer's Boys, Kemarki Absalom of St George's College and Ramone Bailey of Wolmer's, who all cleared 1.90m.
The Class One equivalent went to Calabar's Riley with 2.10 metres on count-back. It was his second gold of the Championships following victory in the gruelling seven-discipline heptathlon. Riley won gold as a member of the 4x100 and bronze in the 110 hurdles. Machel Baker of St Jago was second in the Class One high jump with the similar clearance of 2.10m, while Omari Dookie of KC was third with a clearance of 2.05.
Odaine Chisholm of Bridgeport threw 16.42 metres to take gold the Class One shot put ahead of Calabar's Noel Facey (15.61m) and KC's Damion Johnson (15.37m) for silver and bronze, respectively.
The Class Two discus went to Calabar's Travis Best with 47.61m ahead of KC's Raschane Cunningham (45.96m) and Rajae Gayle (45.41m).
In the relays, Danzeto Cephas performed like a true captain by clocking 1 minute, 57.1 seconds (source Track analyst Hubert Lawrence) on his 800m anchor leg to lead KC to a third straight victory in the 1,600 metres sprint medley. He had received the baton some five metres behind his Calabar opponent Sean Robinson. Calabar took the silver in 3 mins, 33.02 ahead of St Elizabeth Technical 3 mins, 33.48secs.
There was an anti-climax in the Class One 4x100 metres as favourites and record holders St Jago, who had lowered the record from 39.80 to 39.78 in the heats on Wednesday, failed to finish following a mix-up between second leg runner Hylton an 200-metre winner Ashmeade, who left the track on a stretcher. Checks revealed that he did not suffer any major injury.
Calabar's quartet of Andrew Riley, Ramone McKenzie, Warren Weir and Oshane Bailey (in that order) won the race in 40.28secs. Camperdown took silver in 40.59 ahead of Herbert Morrison with a fast finishing Dexter Lee, bronze in 40.79secs.

[Don1]

Congrats to C-bar on a fine victory!

JC haffi tief back Michael Clarke - that guy is a genius.

[MdmeX]

Congrats to the Maurice Wilson Holmwood team

For all that they endured - robbery 2 consecutive days at their hotel, those girls poured their heart into every event.

Diminutive Bobbie-Gaye Wilkins anchoring the 4*4



Holmwood Technical's Bobbie-Gaye Wilkins (right) raises her arm in triumph to celebrate her team's 4x400 metres victory in the penultimate event at Champs on Saturday night. Wilkins, who got the baton nearly 20 metres behind the leader, ran a remarkable 50.8-second split on the anchor leg to lead her team to a sensational win.

[Don1]

ditto

For all that they endured - robbery 2 consecutive days at their hotel, those girls poured their heart into every event.

Diminutive Bobbie-Gaye Wilkins anchoring the 4*4



Holmwood Technical's Bobbie-Gaye Wilkins (right) raises her arm in triumph to celebrate her team's 4x400 metres victory in the penultimate event at Champs on Saturday night. Wilkins, who got the baton nearly 20 metres behind the leader, ran a remarkable 50.8-second split on the anchor leg to lead her team to a sensational win.

Amen to that!

[Mexxx]

RABALAC..oh when C-barrrr goes marching innnn oh when

CCCCC-Barrrr goes marching in, ohhh how I want to be in that number when CCCC-bar goes marching in.