The island’s top schools and athletes extended their dominance Tuesday, March 10, as rivalries began to take shape on the second day of Island Champs. Secondary school competitors lined up at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground for track preliminaries in the 150m, 200m, 600m, 800m, 1000m, 1200m, 1500m, and 4x100m, all pressing for spots in the March 22 finals.
Defending champions St Joseph’s Convent (girls) and St Mary’s College (boys) continued to pile up qualifiers, while Vieux Fort Comprehensive, Soufriere Comprehensive and Saint Lucia Sports Academy kept the chase alive. Also in the mix: Leon Hess Comprehensive, Beanefield Comprehensive, Micoud Secondary, Choiseul Secondary and the TVET Institute – School of Innovation & Technology (Anse Ger).
Skai Sammy will contest the 150m, running 20.3 in that event for SJC. The Under-14 girls also ran the 600m, where Brianne Jason of SLSA posted a time of 1:51.3 to lead the qualifiers by a significant margin. Neah Mortley of LHCSS made the 600 semis, but she dominated the 1000m, running 2:45.0 to go more than a minute faster than the next qualifier, national swimmer Sapphire Parks of SJC. VFCSS led the 4x100m qualifiers.
Among the boys, Christiano Nestor asserted himself with an 18.6-second run in the 150m for Choiseul, but he will be hard pressed by Nasri Edwin (VFCSS) and Devin Mesmain (SCSS) as the meet progresses. Aiden Biscette’s 1:45.1 was enough for the SLSA student to lead the 600 from Railey Thomas of Corinth. Biscette doubled up in the 1500m with a run of 4:07.9, with Thomas again in contention. VFCSS are in front of the 4x100m.
Shaimaelle Durand of VFCSS shone in the intermediate division, running 27.0 for the girls’ 200m. Aria Andrew of SLSA stopped the clock in 2:39.6 to win her heat of the 800m, but she will be pushed all the way by Aniya George of SJC in the next two rounds. George had the best time in the 1500m, 5:59.3, just ahead of Micoud’s Runisha Joseph and SLSA’s Kayla Polius, a national footballer. Micoud Secondary topped the 4x100m.
Renard Bernard reiterated his Under-16 credentials with a time of 23.4 in the 200m for VFCSS. Sir Ira Simmons’ Armani Phillips and VFCSS’ Leonel Mathurin are also in contention. Jake Roberts of SLSA clocked 2:17.0 in the 800m, and McKay Randolph of Anse Ger ran 4:56.9 for the 1500m, the only athlete under five minutes on the day. SMC got the best time in the 4x100m.
In the senior division, after posting just the second-best time in the 100m, double CARIFTA champion Jady Emmanuel left no doubt about her intent in the 200m. The Choiseul fifth-former ran 26.9 seconds to lead CARIFTA teammates Barbara-Marie Maximin (Beanefield), Isabella Emilienne (SLSA), Destinee Cenac and Gabrielle Facey (both SJC). Akaiha Weeks brought LHCSS to the fore with a 2:41.1 run in the 800m, whilst Micoud Secondary’s Kyla Lionel, another national footballer, led the standings in the 1500m with a 6:05.4 performance. SJC are in front in the 4x100m qualifiers.
Anse Ger had the top two times in the Under-18 200m for boys, as Curtis Auguste at 22.9 was the only man faster than his teammate, Rell Leonce. Choiseul’s Dermile Theodore with 2:10.3 was just ahead of Chaz Alexander (SCSS) and Derell St Ange (VFCSS) in the 800m. Chaz Alexander ran 4:46.3 for the 1500m, with Anse Ger’s Elias Auguste also going under five minutes. Anse Ger led the 4x100m.
Day 3 of Island Champs, Wednesday, March 11, will feature finals in ball throw and javelin throw. The meet continues next week with field event finals and track semifinals, culminating in the track finals on March 22 at DSCG.
