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• Coach pleased as St John’s Primary student Perez Pearson shines at INSPORTS/Devon Biscuits Primary Schools Central Athletics Championships

  The outstanding display of sportsmanship by 12-year-old St John’s Primary student Perez Pearson at Wednesday’s grand final of the Central Championships under the umbrella of the 42^nd staging of the Devon Biscuits/Institute of Sports (INSPORTS) All-Island Primary Schools Athletics Championships, has been commended by his coach Jermaine Miller. 

  Pearson finished tied for first place Male Overall Champion with Ricardo Granville of Naggo Head Primary. 

  “Perez is a multi-faceted student and he always had other areas to give of his time. However, his time management and the support he has at home, is really top notch and that has helped him to create the necessary balance that needed to succeed,” Miller said in a media release. 

  Pearson, who is also the head boy at his school, won first place in the long jump as well as in the Boys 9-13 800 Sprint Medley Open finals. 

  Said Miller, “I am extremely happy and proud of his execution in all his events. His performance, especially in the long jump showed he has good composure under pressure as well, as it displayed his competitive nature.” 

  Miller has been Pearson’s coach for the past two years. He believes the young athlete can excel at the high school level. 

  “For sure, he will continue track and field going into high school. He is a brilliant youngster academically and he has high ambitions of becoming a pilot. So, I’m hopeful that he will continue in the sport after high school. If he does, I am confident that he will reach the national and international level and do well at whatever he does,” Miller disclosed. 

  According to Pearson’s mother Tamara Woodhouse he lost his father at the age of five. She said the elder Pearson had wanted his son to do well in academics and sports. 

  “If his father was alive, he would have been so proud of him. He always wanted him to do anything in sports and academics while being involved in school activities. I have been supportive of his sporting activities, I’m always at his track meets, and every event that he takes part in. I also make sure he has his gears,” said Woodhouse. 

  Woodhouse, who resides in Willowdene in Spanish Town, said she is ecstatic about her son’s achievements. 

  “It was a good performance. I was excited, overjoyed and nervous at the same time whenever he ran,” she said. 

  She shared that his interest in sports started in the third grade. 

  “I think he was in the third grade when he began to take it seriously, but it wasn’t until he was in grade five that he started to run. This is his second year participating in the Central champs. Last year, someone ran past him at the finishing line, and he said he would never let that happen to him again.” 

  Sherene Bryan, brand manager for title sponsor Devon Biscuits, said that Pearson’s achievements augurs well for the brand and what it represents. 

  “It was an easy decision for us to come on board. We recognize the importance of supporting, fostering and encouraging the young athletes of tomorrow. They are the future. It starts right here, these are the stars of the future,” said Bryan.

   

• Corinaldi Avenue Primary race to 13-point lead on penultimate day of INSPORTS/Devon Biscuits Primary Schools Western Athletics Championships

  Defending champion Corinaldi Avenue Primary of St James raced to a 13-point lead on the penultimate day of the INSPORTs/Devon Biscuits Primary Schools Western Athletics Championships on Friday.

  After 11 finals, Corinaldi surged to 86.5 points ahead of Black River Primary of St Elizabeth on 73.5 and Howard Cooke Primary of St James sitting in third spot on 54 points. Brompton Primary of St Elizabeth are fourth with 50 points while Glen Stuart Primary completed the top five on 48 points.

  The records continued to tumble but the star of the day was Santana Brown of Brompton who won two events the Girls Cricketball Open with 42.04m and returned later to capture the high jump with a record leap of 1.37m.

  Her teammate Keneek Grove won the Boys’ Cricket ball Open with a record 64.67m ahead of Corinaldi’s Al-Jay Levy with 63.50m.

  Brompton won three events and took an early while Howard Cooke won three relays all in record fashion. In fact, seven of the eight relay records were broken.  

  Howard Cooke won the Girls’ Class Four 4x100 in 1:02.49 and the Girls’ Class Two in 54.75, both in record fashion. They also won Boys’ Class One in 52.85 just outside the record of 52.19 held by Barracks Road since 2023.

  Corinaldi Avenue won two relays in record style, the Boys’ Class Four in a record 58.05 and the Boys’ Class Three in 55.35.

  Glen Stuart also won two relays in record fashion capturing the Girls’ Class Three 4x100 in 58.29 and the Boys’ Class Two in 55.25. Barracks Road Primary won the Girls Class One in a record 53.55.

  There will be 29 finals tomorrow as teams fight to book their spots in the all-island finals dubbed the Nationals on May 20-22. Lyssons of St Thomas won the Eastern Championship and Naggo Head of St Catherine won the Central Championship.

  The National champion will walk away with $600,000. Lyssons are the defending champions.

• Lyston through to 100m final at SEC Outdoors; Pryce becomes eighth-fastest Jamaican ever to advance to 400m final

  Brianna Lyston secured a chance at the sprint double at the SEC Outdoor Championships in Gainesville, Florida after booking her spot in the final of the women’s 100m.

  The LSU sophomore, who ran 22.31 on Thursday to secure her spot in the 200m final, came back a day later to run 11.09 to be the joint-fastest qualifier for Saturday’s final alongside collegiate leader Jacious Sears of Tennessee.

  Bahamian Florida junior Wanya McCoy and Jamaican Georgia freshman Jehlani Gordon advanced to the men’s 100m final as the second and ninth fastest qualifiers with 10.09 and 10.17, respectively.

  The women’s 400m prelims saw Arkansas senior Nickisha Pryce become the eighth-fastest Jamaican ever in the event.

  Pryce, who is Jamaica’s reigning national champion, ran a personal best and collegiate leading 49.72 to advance to the final as the fastest qualifier ahead of teammate Kaylyn Brown who ran 49.86.

  LSU sophomore Jahiem Stern produced 13.45 to advance to the final of the 110m hurdles.

  In the field, the Jamaican Arkansas pair of Romaine Beckford and Wayne Pinnock won gold in the high jump and long jump, respectively.

  Beckford had a best clearance of 2.22m to win ahead of LSU’s Kuda Chadenga (2.19m) and Ole Miss’s Arvesta Troupe (2.14m).

  Pinnock, a sliver medalist at last year’s World Championships in Budapest, jumped 8.09m to successfully defend his SEC title.

  Georgia’s Micah Larry produced 7.80m for second while Florida’s Caleb Foster was third with the same distance.