Many chances to shine at Champion of Champions

Without many of the best athletes from the 2017 Pine Hill National Primary Schools’ Athletics Championship Finals just concluded this week, the top of the chart athletes from the Champion schools got a chance to shine yesterday.

It was not a packed event but parents and fans came out on a clear skied Saturday afternoon to support the athletes from all of the champion schools at the 2017 Pine Hill NAPSAC Champion of Champions. The competition was still stiff and the performances were top notch at the Usain Bolt Sports Complex with many of the young competitors able to stand out. The Champion of Champions winners were St. Giles Primary for the Girls’ Division with 291 and Bayley’s Primary for the Boys with 254.83, but the focus was more on the individual athletes who got a chance to run at the event.

There were many sprint doubles for the day. Janella Browne of the Girls Team Champions of the day, St. Giles Primary, won the U-9 100 metres and 150 metres events in 16.39 seconds and 24.15 seconds. She also added the Long Jump event. With her compiled total of 30 points she not only took home the U-9 Girls Division title but also shared the best female athlete of the day to win the Victrix Ludorum Title.

Her co-winner was fellow schoolmate and U-13 Girl Tania Applewhaite who also won the U-11 Girl’s title with 30 points. Applewhaite had to compete with her sister, Tia Applewhaite, in two of the three events she ran and was able to beat her in both. The family bond and love was still there at the end of the race with them hugging at the end of each race. Tania won the 100m, 200m and 400m races. Her time in the 100m was 14.69, the 200m was 29.87 seconds and finally she crossed the line in a time of 1:31.10 minutes in the 400m. Tia placed second in the 100m and 200m with times of 15.38 and 30.48 seconds respectively while J’Nia Edwards also of St. Giles was second in the 400m in 1:35.36 seconds.

The Victor Ludorum honours were shared as well between the U-9 and U-13 Division as Nathan Cumberbatch of St. Giles and Daniel Duncan of Bayley’s finished with 30 points apiece. Nathan won the 80m, 100m and Long Jump in the U-9 Boys to also win his division. He clocked 12.22 seconds in the 80m and crossed the line in 15.70 seconds in the 100m. In both races his competition came from Zion Ifill of ST. Cyprian’s Boy’s School who placed second in 12.24 seconds and 15.75 seconds respectively, just behind Cumberbatch. Ifill went on to win the U-9 150m with a time of 23.43, ahead of Tariq Barker of All Saints Primary.

Daniel Duncan had an outstanding week of athletics. He not only shared the Victor Ludorum at NAPSAC Finals but also shared the honours at Champions of Champions. He won the U-13 400m and 800m with times of 1:06.48 minutes and 2:27.10 minutes. Second and third places in both events went to Shaquan Belle of Bayley’s and Joshua Husbands of All Saints. Duncan also won the last of his pet events, the Long Jump with a leap of 4.92 metres.
The U-13 Girls Champion was Tianna Applewhaite of St. Giles, having a great day on the track like her sisters. She won with a total of 26 points after winning the 200m in 28.71 seconds and placing second in the 100m and Long Jump with a time of 13.66 seconds and a jump of 4.21m. The U-11 Boys title went to Reynaldo Bourne of Bayley’s with 22 points and the U-13 Boys Division winner was Teon Haynes also of Bayley’s with 24.50 points. (AS)