Stiff Competition Highlights Inter Primary Championships

St. Georges' Izariah Frett, the Most Outstanding Female Performer, leads the field in the Girls 150m dash. 

MARCH 14—Stiff competition characterized Thursday’s reformatted Inter Primary Schools Track and Field Championships that saw public and private primary schools athletes across the territory displaying their abilities in sprinting, jumping, throwing and middle distance events.

All athletes in the competition advanced during zonal competitions towards the end of February, where the top two athletes and the fastest losers from across zones advanced to the marquee event.

While Althea Scatliffe was expected to be at the top of the pile where they accumulated 554 points, there was a three-way battle for the next three positions and other tussles down the pecking order. Alexandrina Maduro used a higher  relay placing to finish two points ahead of Francis Lettsome, 218-216, with Joyce five back. Willard Wheatley scored 166 points, two better than St. George’s 164 for fifth place.

Leonara Delville garnered 115 followed by Enis Adams who was three better than Ebenezer Thomas, 108-105. Ivan Dawson occupied 10th place with 95 points.

First Impression showed well in the relays to pull away from Seventh Day Adventist, 66-59, while Bregado Flax had a two point edge over Agape Total Life Academy, 53-51.

Another battle for the other positions saw three points separating Isabella Morris from Jost Van Dyke, 43-40 and Pelican Gate was just three points back with 37 while Claudia Creque fell two points shy of their score with 35. God’s Cornerstone and Robinson O’Neal tied with 30, two more than Cedar’s 28 with Little Rainbow School garnering four points.

Close division champs races

With athletes limited to three individual scoring events plus the relays, there were narrow victories and ties.

Althea Scatliffe’s Adaejah Hodge claimed the U9 Girls 80 and 150m dashes in 9.93 and 25.38 seconds respectively, to seal the title with 20 points. Her teammates Kahleem Lettsome and Johari Lacey tied for the Boys equivalent with 16. Lettsome who was third behind Lacey in the 60m dash, 9.83-9.89 seconds, bettered Lacey in the 150m sprint by .03, 24.26-24.29 seconds.

St. Georges School Izariah Freet—the meets Most Outstanding Female Performer—was the only athlete scoring 30 points. She won the 80/150m in 11.66 and 21.68 respectively, then was the only Long Jumper cutting the sand over the 4 meter mark with a leap of 4.05m.

Althea Scatliffe’s Sha’el Lavacia took the Boys title by a two point margin over St. George’s Kyron Walwyn, 28-26. Lavacia bested Walwyn in the 80m, 11.37-11.40 and the 150m 20.95-21.12. Walwyn then picked up the Most Outstanding Male Performer award after cutting the sand at 4.76m in the Long Jump to Lavacia’s 4.34m.

Xiomara “Gia” Malone was three points better than her Althea Scatliffe teammate Alisha Hayde, 28-25 for the U13 Girls title. Malone was second to teammate Zara Brown in the 100m, 13.73-13.85 and won the 200m in 27.86 from Bregado Flax’s D’Neigh Williams’ 27.97. Hayde—who won the 300/600m double in 46.14 seconds and 1:54.64 respectively—was fourth in 28.41.

Joyce Samuels’ Kyle Leader emerged with the U13 Boys Class award with a three points 23-20 margin over Althea Scatliffe’s Waynee Bell. Leader ran 1 minute 55.08 seconds to win the 600m and was second to Bell’s teammate Jaleel Croal in the Long Jump after a 4.23m measurement to Croal’s 4.39m. Leader was beaten by Bell in the 300m—placing fourth in 48.12 seconds to Bell’s 44.83. Bell also took the 200m in 28.53 seconds.

The 13+ Girls and Boys Divisions saw razor thin victories for both girls and boys winners. Enis Adams’ Leanne Connor 23 points was one point better than Francis Lettsome’s Anasha Fergus and Alexandrina Maduro’s Ericca Charles who were tied with 22. After losing the 100m to Ebenezer Thomas’ Brittany Williams, with 13.49 seconds vs 14.45, Connor overhauled Williams in the last 15m to win the 200m in 29.41-29.67.  Chares was third in 30.60. Connor reached 3.68m in the Long Jump, good for fourth place, behind Charles’ winning mark of 4.02m.

Fergus then beat Charles in both the 400/600m events running 1:10.49-11:11.55 in the shorter race and 1:56.51-2:00.70 in the longer.

Willard Wheatley’s Kyle Penn garnered 26 points to top the division ahead of Joyce Samuels’ Malachi Thomas and Lenora Delville’s Eric Bobb who amassed 25 and 24 respectively. Thomas was victorious in the 100m and 200m in 12.38 seconds and 25.61 respectively, while Bobb was second in the 100m. Penn bested Bobb in both the 400m in 59.21 -1:01.50 seconds. In the day’s most dramatic finish, Bobb eroded Penn’s early 12m lead in the 600m as they home came rubbing shoulders. Penn, who had a slight edge after a final surge, out leaned the diving Bobb by .08, 1:38.40-1:38.48.