With Jazeel Murphy leading the way, the high school boys crowded the 200m events in apparent tribute to the patron of last Saturday’s Queens-Grace Jackson development meet at the UWI-Usain Bolt track in Kingston. Murphy, Bridgeport High’s 2009 Class 2 double sprint champion, led 175 participants in the Class 1 200 with a swift run of 21.67 seconds.
Hampered by an opposing wind of 2.4 meters per second, Murphy continued his return from the multiple injuries of 2010. Kaevan Smith of Jamaica College was the only other boy to beat 22 with his time of 21.85, also into a negative wind.
Smith came back later to win over twice the distance in 48.74 seconds. That was the second fastest 400m run of the day as Rasheem Edwards of Garvey Maceo topped the tables with his time of 48.65.
Smith’s JC teammates Deshawn Jackson and Rohan Walker topped the 197 runners in the Class 2 200, with negative wind clockings of 22.41 and 22.46 in separate races.
Rajae Fearon of Kingston College had zipped around the Morant Bay oval in relay action the previous week. On the blue Usain Bolt track, he headed the 167 strong Class 3 200m field with a time of 23.31.
Bad light descended before the 400m races could be completed but not before 2009 World Championship finalists Kaliese Spencer and Anniesha McLaughlin made lasting impressions. Kaliese took the open 800m in 2 minutes 08.77 seconds and Anniesha, slim and trim, topped the open 400 in 53.78.
The other track marks to catch the eye came from Willomena Williams of Bog Walk and Orville Dixon of Calabar. Williams topped the Class 1 800 in 2:14.19, while Dixon surpassed the Champs record for the Class 3 1500m with his run of 4:18.5. Dixon was third in the Boys Champs Class 3 1500 final which was introduced last year.
Raymond Brown was the best performer in the field with his winning shot put mark of 16.96 meters.
Hubert Lawrence, author of the Champs 100 book, has covered local and international athletics since 1987.
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Taking Precaution, Shelly-Ann Didn’t Compete
It should have been her first outing for the 2011 season; however, MVP’s Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce didn’t run the 400m at the Queens-Grace Jackson Meet as expected, stating that she had withdrawn as a precautionary measure against hamstring problems she has been experiencing since early in the week. She further expressed disappointment in not running for the fans who came out to support her
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“I don’t think it’s anything major [but] I just have to nurse the injury properly and get back to training and see what happens after that,” said the reigning Olympic and Worlds 100m champion.
-D. Palmer