Bouwahjghie Nkrumie and Alana Reid at the ISSA Boys and Girls Champs (© Athelstan Bellamy)
Alana Reid and Bouwahjgie Nkrumie set national U20 records over 100m at the ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys and Girls Athletics Championships in Kingston.
The event – held from 28 March to 1 April – saw the return of unrestricted spectator attendance for the first time since 2020. Hydel High School created history when they dethroned many-time champions Edwin Allen by a nail-biting two points (279-277) to claim their first girls’ championship title. Kingston College easily retained their boys’ title with a 67-point victory over runner-up Jamaica College (366-299).
World U20 200m bronze medallist Reid, representing Hydel High, sped to a world-leading 10.92 (1.0m/s) victory in the girls’ aged 17-18 100m finals. Not only did she take 0.03 from Tina Clayton’s Jamaican U20 record, she also obliterated Veronica Campbell-Brown’s 22-year-old championship record of 11.13. It also places her fifth on the world U20 all-time list.
“I told my coach it was time to run sub-11 seconds and he said he knows I was capable and I should go for it,” said Reid, whose time would have made every senior World Championships final. “I just came out and did my utmost best and the support from the stands gave me the push.”
World U20 100m silver medallist Serena Cole was forced to withdraw from the final after picking up a hamstring injury in her semi-final, which she won in 11.17.
In the boys’ aged 16-19 100m final, it was third time’s the charm for world U20 silver medallist Nkrumie. The Kingston College sprinter, who finished sixth in last year’s final after stumbling in the blocks, made no mistake this time, capitalising on an explosive start and pulling away from the field to stop the clock at 9.99 (0.3m/s), taking 0.03 off his own Jamaican U20 record.
Reigning Carifta Games champion De Andre Daley of Herbert Morrison High School claimed silver in a PB of 10.14 ahead of Jamaica College’s Caymanian sprinter Jaiden Reid, who sped to a lifetime best of 10.26.
“I felt good throughout the rounds,” said Nkrumie, who moved to third on the world U20 all-time list. “It’s a wonderful feeling to break 10 seconds because it’s not an easy feat.”
There was some impressive sprinting in the one-lap finals. World U20 finalist Delano Kennedy ran a lifetime best of 45.27 to win the boys’ aged 16-19 final. In the senior girls’ final, Rickiann Russell came within 0.13 of the championship record to win in 51.26.
Jody-Ann Mitchell, representing Holmwood Technical, broke Natoya Goule’s championship record in the girls’ aged 17-18 1500m, winning in 4:29.42. The championship record also fell in the senior girls’ discus, which was won by Holmwood Technical’s Cedricka Williams with a world-U20-leading throw of 57.82m.
Tahj-Marques White was one of the main contributors to Kingston College’s successful defence of their boys’ title, winning the 200m and 400m in PBs of 21.44 and 47.73.
A well-rested Shaquane Gordon of Calabar registered a commanding win in the class 2 boys’ 110m hurdles in 13.42, three days after his close and exciting win in the 100m in 10.40.
Elsewhere, Theianna-Lee Terrelonge produced a lifetime best of 11.49 to successfully defend her 13-14 100m title ahead of Wolmerian Natrece East (11.59).
Noel Francis for World Athletics
