St. Alban’s makes NAPSAC history

For the very first time, a school from the Andrea Blackett Zone has won a title at the National Primary Schools’ Athletics Championships (NAPSAC), as St. Alban’s Primary captured the Boys’ title with 126 points.

The historic victory came down to the relays after a battle throughout the day with St. Cyprian’s, who finished second with 100 points. In third was Wilkie Cumberbatch on 75 points while Luther Thorne and Bay Primary tied for fourth with 68.

St. Giles’ Primary was in the clear from early on and won the Girls’ crown easily with 109 points. The battle for second was won by West Terrace Primary with 68 points. Eden Lodge was one point behind in third with 67 and Wesley Hall Junior School was fourth on 61. Cuthbert Moore Primary finished fifth on 60 points.

Tia Applewhaite and Macaiah Brathwaite were crowned the victrix and victor ludorum with 30 points after a perfect day of competition.

Applewhaite of champion school St. Giles’ started her day by edging her sister Tania in the U-11 Girls’ 100m.

It was the first of two battles between the sisters on the way to the U-11 Girls’ title. Tia ran to gold in 14.21 seconds while Tania clocked 14.23, and Amara Harewood of St. Alban’s Primary finished third in 14.44 seconds.

Applewhaite then moved onto the U-11 Girls’ Long Jump where she leapt to 4.35m for the gold medal. Harewood got herself another medal – this time the silver – with her mark of 4.12m. Solange Holford of West Terrace Primary took third with 4.10m.

The victrix ludorum finished her individual day with a top-notch run in the U-11 Girls’ 200m. Again she strode home to cross the line before her sister, who is known to be a good middle to long distance runner. Tia stopped the clock in 28.90 seconds followed by Tania in 29.23, and Harewood was third with 29.31 seconds.

Brathwaite, hailing from Luther Thorne Memorial, earned all 30 of his U-9 Divisional Championship points on the blue and yellow Ryan Brathwaite track. He was uncatchable in the U-9 80m and broke the tape in 12.12 seconds. His competition came from Eliezer Williams of St. Alban’s who clocked 12.23 and Jaiko Devonish of Roland Edwards Primary who was third in 12.48 seconds.

Brathwaite then battled Josiah Gill of Wilkie Cumberbatch along with Devonish in the 100m. Brathwaite’s gold medal performance was 14.91 seconds while Gill took silver in 15.19 and Devonish the bronze in 15.32. His final challenge was against similar faces, but again he prevailed in the U-9 150m where he finished in 22.50 seconds. Williams was second with 22.60 seconds and Gill placed third in 22.94 seconds.
Kydaisha Worrell of A. Dacosta Edwards was crowned the U-9 Girls’ Divisional Champion with 24 points. She won the 80m in 12.87 seconds and was second to Kimara Blackett in the 100m in a time of 15.77 seconds. Blackett won gold in 15.40 seconds and again in the 150m where she clocked 23.43 seconds and Worrell was third in 24.18 behind Dionne Grant of St. Joseph Primary who finished in 24.12.

St. Gabriel’s Ogarro Jules was the U-11 Boys’ Champion with wins in the Long Jump and Cricket Ball Throw. He jumped 4.53m and threw 55.53m to the gold.

The U-13 Girls’ champion, with 26 points, was Chrisaria Ballantyne of Cuthbert Moore Primary, who showed her class when she won the U-13 Girls’ 100m in 13.60 seconds. With emaculate sprinting form she also ran to glory in 200m with a time of 28.51 seconds, but was unable to match that performance in the 400m. She had to settle for third with a time of 1:05.57 minutes behind star Eden Lodge athlete Ashlyn Simmons who won in a time of 1:02.62 and Tanesha Arthur of Bay Primary who won silver in 1:04.32.

Shamari Addison took the U-13 Boys’ title with 22 points. He fell out of the running in the U-13 400m and placed 5th, but made up for that performance by almost winning the 100m. Amari Forde of St. Cyprian’s won but he and Addison clocked the same 13.27 time and the winner had to be decided by photo finish. Jayden Green was leaning at the tape with the others but not far enough and clocked 13.33 seconds.

Addison left no doubt in the U-13 200m. He pelted down the straight to win in 26.19, leaving the silver for Forde with a time of 26.32 in another photo finish ending but this time with Green who again was third best with the 26.32 as well.

Rejada Hill of St. Giles’ and Raman Forde of Wesley Hall were the U-7 Girls’ and Boys’ champions with 20 and 14 points.

In the Open Boys’ 800 Ratanang Barker settled the debate on if he would be victorious. Barker picked up and injury during the lead-up to the finals but therapy helped him recover enough to take the gold medal. His time of 2:32.01 bested his biggest competitor, Tytan Hinkson, who finished in 2:33.13 minutes.

The Eden Lodge girls broke their own record of 2:00.97 set this year in the Girls’ Open 800m Medley Relay, anchored by Ashlyn Simmons with a time of 2:00.04 minutes. (AS)