A strong push from defending champions Flambouyant was too little, too late, as Frangipani pulled away to win the Sir Ira Simmons Secondary School track meet on February 12 at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground. Flambouyant finished a close third behind Cassia.
Cassia came into the track finals with strong marks from the road race, with Frangipani 18 points back at that stage. But Frangipani won the fun sports by two points, and then pulled ahead through the field events, which they won by 18 points, 218 to 200.
When the dust settled on the track, Frangipani had climbed to 813 points, well clear of Cassia on 767. Flambouyant compiled 758 points in third place, and Calabash once again occupied the cellar on 655.
Starring for Frangipani was Armani Phillips, Under-16 champion at 100m (11.8 seconds), 200m (24.4), and 400m (59.2) before leading his team to a big win in the 4x100m. He had previously won the shot put in his division, contributing 32 individual points to his house.
Also in Division 3, Thassari Similien and Shanice Gabriel were the top girls. Similien took gold in the 100m, in 13.8 seconds, and the 200m in 28.6 seconds, along with 4x400m gold for Flambouyant. Gabriel won the 400m in 1:12.2 and 800m in 3:08.3 for Frangipani.
In the Under-18 class, Alice Phillips took the girls’ title. She won the 400m in 1:14.1, the 800m in 3:08.6, and the 1500m open in 7:25.7 for Calabash. Cherris Calderon won the 100m in 14.1, and the 200m in 31.1 for Flambouyant, and her teams took both relays.
Cornelius Edmund and Uraus Poleon each got a gold and a silver for the U18 boys. Calabash man Edmund ran 11.7 to win the 100m by a split-second over Poleon. Frangipani’s Poleon returned the favour, running 24.8 to win the 200m. Tristan St Louis ran 1:03.6 to take the 400m for Flambouyant, and Kwame Tommy ran 5:37.2 to win the open 1500m for Calabash.
Phoebe Jolie took three of the four individual gold medals available in the Under-14 category. She won the girls’ 80m in 11.5, the 150m in 21.0, and the 300m in 52.1 for Cassia. Makayla Hyacinth ran 2:14.4 to win the 600m for Flambouyant.
The Under-14 boys produced a divisional trophy for Dowayne Jn Paul, winning for Flambouyant in the 300m (51.8), 600m (1:58.3), and 1200m (4:58.0). He held off housemate Nadius Hippolyte in the 300, after Hippolyte took both sprints, running 10.8 seconds in the 80m and 20.4 in the 150m.
