St. George Primary wins title

St. George Primary ran away with the title at the James Wedderburn Zone of the National Primary Schools’ Athletics Championships yesterday.

Ethan Harte from St. George Primary was in a record-breaking mood in the Under-13 Boys’ Division and also captured the victor ludorum title with 30 points.

St. George won with 204 points, while St. Giles was second with 164 points and Hilda Skeene third with 152 points.

Each time Harte stepped on the track a record tumbled in the Under-13 Boys’ Division and he was involved in the setting of five of the ten new records on the day. He smashed the overall NAPSAC record in the 200 metres with a time of 25.23 seconds to replace the previous record of 25.70 secs ran by Jamahl Burke in 2011. As a result he also replaced the Zone record.

Harte’s teammate Zachary Wall was hot on his heels and also dipped below the previous record as he finished second in the 200m with a time of 25.60 secs. With the other two top four finishers, Nathan Cumberbatch from St. Giles and Jaquon Blackman-Gittens (26.57 secs) from Reynold Weekes (26.63 secs) dipping below the Zone record.

Harte and Wall chased each other all day and as a result both dipped below the Zone records. In the 100m Harte won with a time of 12.52 secs and Wall was second in 12.91 secs, while the Zone record once stood at 13.00 secs set in 2012 by Ondre Jarvis from Grantley Prescod. Harte’s time of 12.52 secs narrowly missed the overall NAPSAC record of 12.50 secs set by Taureen Rose of Luther Thorne is 2002.

In the 400m Under-13 Harte set the new Zone record with a time of 59.18 secs and Wall was second in 62.13 secs, while the old Zone record stood at 62.19 secs set in 2015 by Savion Hoyte from Sharon Primary. The NAPSAC overall record in this event stands at 58.75 secs set by Mario Burke from Wilkie Cumberbatch in 2008.

The two then teamed up in the 800m medley relay with Harte on the 200m leg and Wall on the 400m. Both giving their all and Wall pumping all the way despite being way ahead of the pack to set a new record of 1:55.78 secs to replace the Zone record of 2:01.25 set in 2010 by Arthur Smith Primary.

They then teamed up again in the 4x100m relay and once again a record fell with Harte on the second leg and pulling way ahead of the field and Wall finishing once again without letting up to set a new NAPSAC relay record of 53.35 secs.

Other records to fall on the day were in the Boys’ 80m Amir Quimby from Hilda Skeene ran 12.06 secs to set a new Zone record replacing the old record of 12.15 secs.

Shakir Yarde from Grantley Prescod Memorial won the long jump with a new record leap of 3.34 metres replacing the old record of 3.27m set in 2015 by Jadan Bowen from Deacons.

In the Under-11 Boys 100m Josiah Gill from St. Gabriels won the race in 13.82 secs replacing the old record of 13.92 secs set in 2019 by Wall.

In the Cricket ball throw Justin Parris from Reynold Weekes threw the ball a distance of 62.59 metres replacing the old mark of 62.00m set in 2009 by Shamer Williams from St. Giles.

Destiny Howard from Reynold Weekes broke the record in the 600m open with a time of 1:48.97 to replace the old mark of 1:52.09 set in 2011 by Shonita Brome from Roland Edwards. (CG)