Nkrumie became the first schoolboy to run under 10 seconds at Champs while Reid was the first girl to run under 11 seconds.
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Kingston College’s Bouwahjghie Nkrumie and Hydel High School’s Alana Reid established new records and created history in the 100m finals that concluded Wednesday’s second day of the 2023 ISSA GraceKennedy Boys and Girls Athletics Championships at the National Stadium in Kingston.
Both athletes delivered massive firsts for Jamaican junior athletes winning in 9.99 and 10.92, respectively, national junior records.
Nkrumie, 19, whose 10.02 at the World U20 Championships in Colombia last year, was a national junior record, lowered his own mark to 9.99 to win the Class 1 Boys 100m final. Nkrumie gave fair warning in the semi-finals when he eased to 10.08 to break Zharnel Hughes’ record of 10.12 set in 2014.
In the final, he left it all on the track becoming the first male athlete to break 10 seconds at the 113-year-old championships and only the third junior in history to break 10 seconds. Only the USA’s Trayvon Brommel and Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo have run the 100m under 10 seconds as juniors.
The KC star dragged Herbert Morrison’s Deandre Daley to a personal best 10.14 for the silver medal while Jaiden Reid of Jamaica College was third in 10.26.
Reid became the first female to break 11 seconds at the championships, shattering Veronica Campbell’s record of 11.12 set back in 2001.
It was supposed to be a clash between Reid from Hydel and Serena Cole of Edwin Allen and things were shaping up for a monumental battle between the two who split two races this season. The appetite of the fans gathered at the national stadium was whetted in anticipation of a battle royal in the final when Reid cruised to a personal best 11.16 to win her heat.
The gauntlet thrown down, Cole responded with a seemingly effortless 11.17 but her grimace as she crossed the finish line in her semi-final was ominous.
The news that eventually surfaced confirmed the fear. Cole was out with a hamstring injury but that didn’t faze Reid, who destroyed the field that included World U20 100m hurdles silver medalist Alexis James.
She stormed across the line to break Tina Clayton’s national junior record set in August 2022, less than a year ago at the World U20 Championships in Cali, Colombia. The time that makes her the 11th fastest Jamaican woman in history is also a world-leading time.
James of Petersfield High was a distant second in 11.45 while Tonie-Ann Forbes of Edwin Allen High was third in 11.47.
The Class II finals were not as spectacular but were nonetheless impressive as Calabar High School’s Shaquane Gordon won in 10.40 barely holding off Tremaine Todd of St Elizabeth Technical who was a close second in 10.42.
Dontae Watson of Jamaica College ran 10.72 for third.
Meanwhile, Abigaile Wolfe of Holy Childhood High ran a personal best 11.59 for the gold medal. Shemonique Hazle of Hydel won the silver medal clocking 11.65 with Lavanya Williams of William Knibb breathing down her neck in 11.66.
Kingston College’s Joshua Spence took the Class III Boys crown in 10.92 ahead of Jamaica College’s Malique Spence 11.01 and Shaun Lewis of St Elizabeth Technical 11.07.
Among the girls, Theianna-Lee Terrelonge of Edwin Allen successfully defended her title winning in a smart 11.49. The 2022 Carifta Games silver medallist held off a fast-closing Natrece East of Wolmer’s Girls, who ran 11.59.
St Jago High School’s Poshanna-Lee Blake was third in 11.89.
Immaculate High School enjoyed a 1-2 finish in the Class IV 100m finals with Kayla Johnson clocking 11.97 to win gold ahead of her teammate Naje Brown 12.20.
Gabrielle Morgan of Hydel ram 12.24 for the bronze medal.
At the end of proceedings on Wednesday, Jamaica College leads the boys standings with 74 points with defending champions Kingston College 13 points behind on 61. Calabar lie third with 29 points, one more than St Jago and two clear of St Elizabeth Technical.
Among the girls, defending champions Edwin Allen lead with 55 points with St Jago not far behind on 47 points.
Holmwood Technical are third with 41 points while Hydel are fourth with 39.
Immaculate High’s 23 points see them lie fifth on the standings.
Leighton Levy is a journalist with 28 years’ experience covering crime, entertainment, and sports. He joined the staff at SportsMax.TV as a content editor two years ago and is enjoying the experience of developing sports content and new ideas. At SportsMax.tv he is pursuing his true passion - sports.
Encouraging victories for Jamaican hurdlers McLeod and Anderson in Savona
Jamaican sprint hurdlers Omar McLeod and Britany Anderson delivered strong performances at the 13th Savona International Meeting in Savona, Italy on Wednesday.
The 30-year-old McLeod, the 2016 Rio Olympics champion in the 110m hurdles, marked an encouraging start to his season with a thrilling victory. The 2017 world champion clocked a winning time of 13.37 seconds in his first competitive race in the event since April 2023 at the LSU Invitational in the United States. Despite facing challenges with rhythm and hitting hurdles during the race, he held off Great Britain's Joshua Zeller (13.42) and Spain's Enrique Llopis (13.43) to secure the victory.
Anderson, meanwhile, the 2022 World Championship silver medalist in the 100m hurdles, continued her impressive form by winning her event with a season-best time of 12.88 seconds. Anderson engaged in a tight battle with Ireland's Zarah Lavin (12.92) and Italy's Eliza Maria Di Lazzaro (12.99), ultimately crossing the line first to claim victory.
Anderson's performance marked a significant improvement from her previous outing, where she clocked 13.23 seconds for victory at the X Athletic Elite Meeting in Milan earlier in April.
With the national championships in Jamaica approaching in just six weeks, the success of both McLeod and Anderson signals promising prospects as they aim to excel and secure coveted spots in Jamaica's Olympic team for the upcoming Games in Paris.
Jamaica's champion Traves Smikle primed for Diamond League debut after impressive JAI victory
Jamaican discus thrower Traves Smikle is riding high on confidence after a convincing win at the Jamaica Athletics Invitational and is now setting his sights on the upcoming Diamond League meeting in Rabat, Morocco, where he will face a formidable field of world-class competitors.
Smikle, who departs the island on Wednesday for the prestigious Diamond League event on Sunday, expressed both excitement and determination about his first appearance in the series. "Encountering a discus field like the one in Rabat for my first Diamond League meet is pretty exciting and crazy at the same time," said Smikle, who has had five wins on the trot this season. "Not many of the big names are missing and I just need to go out there and compete. It’s a game of distance and these guys are good quality throwers, so I just need to hold my own and compete."
His recent performance at the Jamaica Athletics Invitational demonstrated Smikle's capabilities, as he threw an impressive 66.89m to secure victory over his compatriot Fedrick Dacres. Reflecting on this achievement, Smikle emphasized the importance of consistency and translating his current form to European competitions.
"Before coming into this competition, I felt a little tired during the training sessions in the days before," Smikle noted following his win on Saturday. "Coming out today and having another 66m throw is pretty respectable. I am working on my consistency; what I need to do now is when I go to Europe, I translate this sort of performance and better to be competitive among the field."
Looking ahead to his aspirations for the Olympics in Paris this summer, Smikle is focused on pushing his limits and achieving greater distances. "I want to get 68, 69, 70m in a stadium," he explained. "That is what I am working on."
When asked about the steps needed to reach these targets, Smikle highlighted the importance of dedication, patience, and consistency in training. "It’s going to take more work, patience, and greater consistency," emphasized Smikle, who, so far this season, has won with throws of 67.57m, 67.83m, 65.96m, 66.03m and 66.89m. "If you can build up your level of consistency, then at some point your upper limit must get higher."
Matthew Boling thrilled by Jamaica Athletics Invitational experience: "Everyone cheered and it got me hyped..."
Rising American sprinter Matthew Boling expressed his excitement and enthusiasm after competing in the Jamaica Athletics Invitational on Saturday, where he ran a season's best time of 44.98 in the 400m.
Boling, who finished second behind Great Britain's Matthew Hudson Smith, spoke to Sportsmax.TV about his first-time experience in Jamaica and the atmosphere that fueled his performance.
"Yea, I loved the crowd. I like my little intro, everyone cheered and it got me hyped," Boling shared. "I was in the zone and I had to beat my chest a little bit."
Despite his impressive run, Boling indicated that he plans to rest before the upcoming USA trials, hinting at a potential return to Jamaica in the future. "I’d love to come back," he mentioned, reflecting on the lively reception he received from the Jamaican fans.
Regarding his overall season and the challenge of competing in both the 200m and 400m events, Boling expressed satisfaction with his progress, hinting that he could deliver something special at the USA Olympic trials in late June. "I think it’s been going great; the 400m and the 200m seems to be the way I’m heading this year," Boling stated. "I’ve run 10.06, 20.03 and 44.98 so far so I think I’m getting in good shape and getting ready to bust something big out at trials."
Acknowledging the difficulty of taking on the 200m/400m challenge, Boling maintained a positive outlook. "It’s pretty tough but I’m young I’ll recover quick," he remarked with a big smile, demonstrating his determination and optimism for the upcoming competitions.
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