Former 100m world record holder, Asafa Powell, was bestowed with the prestigious 2024 Bleu & Bougie Superstar Award at a glittering ceremony held at Devon House in Kingston on Sunday. The esteemed award recognizes Powell's remarkable contributions to track and field, both locally and internationally, marking a crowning achievement in his illustrious career.
Bleu & Bougie and White Soiree En Blanc are popular events staged by Jamaicans in New York City.
Originally scheduled to receive the award on Saturday, Powell graciously accepted the honor on Sunday during the White Soiree En Blanc event, the second day of the Elite Weekend festivities.
Powell, hailed as one of Jamaica’s most decorated athletes, boasts an impressive track record of multiple Olympic and World Championships medals. His remarkable career culminated in his retirement from track and field in 2022, leaving behind a legacy of unparalleled speed and athleticism. Powell has run the 100m dash under 10 seconds, a world record 97 times.
Powell expressed his gratitude for being honoured by a Jamaican organization, especially within the New York Diaspora. "I feel blessed receiving this honour because it shows that I’ve done something legendary to be proud of," he remarked, reflecting on the significance of the recognition.
When asked about his career success, Powell spoke fondly of representing Jamaica on the global stage. "Wearing our national colours at the Olympic or World Championships gave me great joy and had the greatest impact," he reminisced, highlighting the standout moments of his illustrious career.
With the ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys and Girls Championships (Champs) about to begin in Jamaica on Tuesday, Powell revealed limited memories of his days competing at the prestigious 113-year-old high-school championships.
"My memories competing at Champs are not so many. The year I went, I was the only athlete from my school, and making the finals was a big achievement." Despite his limited experience, Powell expressed admiration for the event's enduring success, praising the new generation for carrying on its legacy.
Powell's last attendance at the ISSA Boys and Girls Championships (Champs) was in 2022, as he shared that he visited Ghana in 2023. Expressing gratitude to Jamaicans in New York, Powell conveyed his heartfelt appreciation for the unwavering support he received from the diaspora throughout his career, acknowledging their enduring love and encouragement.
The Bleu & Bougie Superstar Award adds another accolade to Asafa Powell's illustrious career, reaffirming his status as a legendary figure in Jamaican track and field history.
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Lyssons top INSPORTS/Devon Biscuits Primary Schools Eastern Champs
Lyssons Primary Schools of St Thomas continued their dominance of the INSPORTS/Devon Biscuits Primary Schools Eastern Championships winning their third consecutive title in impressive fashion winning by a massive 128 points at the Stadium East, on Friday.
Lyssons amassed 274 points and were well clear of Harbour View who are second for the second year with 146 points. Lawrence Tavern with their best showing were third on 139.5 points ahead of Hal-Way-Tree with 132 and St Richard’s rounding out the top five on 128.5 points.
Lyssons who are also the All-island champions, walked away with a whopping $350,000 with second-placed Harbour View of St Andrew collecting $250,000. Lawrence Tavern also of St Andrew received $200,000. The fourth to 10th-placed teams each got $100,000.
On a day when a plethora of records were broken, four boys shared the Overall Champions Boys title with 18 points each. Davere Walker and Mickoloy Saunders of Lyssons were joined by Samir McLarty of George Headley Primary and Joshua McWilliams of Lawrence Tavern all walked away with $30,000 each.
Arianna Lewis of Half-Way-Tree Primary was the Overall Girls Champion with 18 points. She broke the Class Three 150m record for the second time at the meet. Yesterday she ran 21.25 in the heats and went better in the final clocking 21.13.
Up next will be the Central Championship starting on Monday at the GC Foster College for the parishes of St Catherine, Clarendon, St Ann and Manchester. Spanish Town Primary are the defending champion.
Defending champion Lyssons hold the lead heading into final day of INSPORTS/Devon Biscuits Primary School Eastern Championships
Defending champion Lyssons Primary of St Thomas have established a 19-point lead after 11 finals heading into the final day of the INSPORTS/Devon Biscuits Primary Schools Athletics Eastern Championships.
Lyssons, hunting their third straight title, raced to 86 points, with St Andrew’s Harbour View on 67 sitting in second and Rosseau Primary of Kingston in third on 49 points with a lot of catching up to do. Half-Way Tree Primary on 40, and Windward Road with 37 complete the top five.
Lyssons won four of the 11 finals with Kristina Bailey capturing the Girls’ High Jump Open with a leap of 1.45m, the same as second-placed Shaniel White of Windward Road. Cataleah Fitten of John Mills was third with 1.39m.
They also won three of the eight relays starting with the Girls Class I 4x100 relay in a record 52.36 seconds. Lessons also won the Boys’ Class Two 4x100 in 54.12 and the Girls’ Class 4 4x100 in 1:02.13.
Harbour View’s Vanessa Melbourne won the first final of the meet throwing 37.35m to win the Girls’ Cricketball Open. Harbour View also won Boys’ Class Four 4x100 relay in 1:01.31.
Half Way Tree Primary won two relays capturing the Girls Class Three 4x100 relay in record fashion clocking 55.49 and the Girls’ Class Two 4x100 in 53.90.
Windward Road were also in record-breaking form winning the Boys’ Class Three relay in 55.04 ahead of Harbour View with 55.53.
Rosseau Primary erased the Boys’ Class One 4x100 record of 51.94 lowering it to 50.54, the same time as second-placed Lyssons. St Richards were third in 51.12.
There will be 29 finals on the third and last day starting with the Girls’ long Jump Open at 9:00 am and concluding with the 4x200m relays at 3:30 pm.
Records tumble at INSPORTS/Devon Biscuits Primary Schools Eastern Championship opening day
The Stadium East facility witnessed a spectacular display of talent on the opening day of the INSPORTS/Devon Biscuits Primary Schools Eastern Championship, with five records falling before the close of competition.
Mickoloy Saunders from Lyssons Primary set the tone by shattering the boys' 800m record, clocking an impressive 2:35.94. This performance surpassed the previous mark of 2:39.83 set by his schoolmate Yohance Carty last year. Camron Fraser of Lawrence Tavern also made waves, finishing second in the heat with a time of 2:28.37, which was under the previous record.
Romeann Gray of Seaside Primary in Portland continued the record-breaking spree in the girls' 800m, storming to victory in 2:31.51, well below the old record of 2:36.57. Deanakay Pinnock of St Patrick’s was another standout, clocking 2:42.90 in winning her heat.
Lyssons Primary showcased their dominance by breaking records in both the girls' and boys' 4x200m relays. The girls' team blazed to victory in 1:50.74, erasing Harbour View's 2023 record of 1:54.87. Meanwhile, the boys' team set a scorching time of 1:45.80, demolishing the old mark of 1:51.80 set by St Jude’s last year.
Adding to the record-breaking spree, Shemika Dobbs of Windward Road clinched the girls' Class 4 60m in a swift 9.17 seconds, eclipsing the previous record set by Sunjai KirkPatrick of Alpha.
The championship continues on Thursday with ten finals scheduled. Defending champions St Thomas’ Lyssons Primary are poised for success, having qualified numerous athletes for the finals and showcasing exceptional form early in the competition.
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