The ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys and Girls Athletics Championships in Kingston witnessed an extraordinary display of youthful athletic prowess this Saturday, highlighted by multiple record-shattering performances in middle-distance events.
Julius Itubo of Kingston College emerged as the standout performer, achieving his second championship record by demolishing a longstanding benchmark in the Class 3 800m. The phenomenal athlete clocked an impressive 1:57.52, decisively breaking Waqar daCosta’s 19-year-old record of 1:58.06 established in 2007. This remarkable achievement followed Itubo’s earlier record-breaking performance in the Class 3 1500m event during the same championships.
The podium placement saw Jamaica College athletes securing both secondary positions, with Ajovi Williams capturing silver in 1:58.54 and Rickardo Lee earning bronze with 1:59.43.
In the competitive Class 1 division, Edwin Allen’s Joel Morgan demonstrated significant improvement by converting last year’s silver medal into gold. Morgan delivered a personal best performance of 1:49.93, successfully holding off challenger Kiile Reid from STETHS who finished closely behind at 1:50.90. Malike Anderson, also representing Edwin Allen, completed the top three with 1:51.31.
Adding to the day’s surprises, Denbigh High’s Markland Williams authored a compelling comeback narrative in the Class 2 800m. After failing to advance beyond the semi-finals in the previous championship, Williams claimed gold with a commanding time of 1:52.58. He outperformed Jamaica College’s Cavel Nooks (1:54.21) and Titchfield High’s Ratieo Walters (1:55.45) to secure the top podium position.