Travis Smikle of Calabar High School erased the national junior discus record with a 66.88 meters throw at Jamaica’s Boys and Girls Athletics Championships (Champs) in Kingston yesterday. Smikle, who placed second last year to teammate Chad Wright – with whom he had a ding-dong battle last season – beat teammate Frederick Dacres, who threw 51.93m. Chadwick Dacosta of Kingston College came third with 50.55m.
In another throw competition, St. Jago's Kellion Knibb also broke another record when she threw 13.65m in the girls open shot put, erasing the old mark of 13.52m set by Candice Bernard of St. Hugh’s High School. Knibb defeated Serena Canegan of Vere Technical, who threw 12.10m and Danielle Thomas of Edwin Allen, 12.04.
Another record came when Kingston College's Xavier Boland set a new mark in the boys pole vault open with 4.46m. This height erased the old mark of 4.45m, set in 2009 by JC’s K'Don Samuels.
Jamaica College faced a disappointing reality with yesterday’s exit of their former Classes 3 and 2 800m champion Waquar DaCosta from the Class 1 800m competition. A member of JC’s victorious 4x8 team at the recent Gibson Relays, DaCosta was expected to earn valuable points in his pet event. However, he failed to complete the semifinal.
On opening day Wednesday, the former Carifta Games double gold medalist was forced to give up his lead in his heat, finishing second in 1:58.59, grimacing and limping across the finish line before holding his hamstring.
Meanwhile, Munro’s Delano Williams, a Turks & Caicos native, served his strongest notice yet at the championships, with a splendid run in the Class 1 Boys 200m semifinal. The tall, slim Williams who has been displaying great form leading up to Champs and looked like a runaway train in the semis, will have Julian Forte of Wolmer’s, Odail Todd of Green Island High and Jazeel Murphy of Bridgeport with whom to contend in the final set for 8:40 p.m. today, Jamaica time.
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