The 130th edition of the historic Penn Relays, one of the most prestigious annual track and field competitions in the United States, delivered another day of thrilling action at Philadelphia’s Franklin Field on Friday, with Jamaican high school throwers turning in dominant performances across multiple events.
Leading the charge was Joseph Salmon of Jamaica College, who turned his 2023 second-place finish in the boys’ high school discus throw into a national title this year. Competing against a field of top young throwers from across the region, Salmon notched a winning mark of 63.55m, even with only three valid throws landing inside the legal sector. The victory adds another prestigious accolade to Salmon’s breakout 2024 campaign, which has already seen him claim top honors at both the ISSA Boys’ Champs and the Carifta Games Under-20 division.
Behind Salmon, it was another Jamaican sweep of the top three positions: Kamari Kennedy of Calabar High took silver with a throw of 61.19m, while Rajeem Streete of Munro College secured bronze with a 60.25m effort. Daijon Budhai of Kingston College placed fourth with 57.63m, and Calabar High’s DeAndre Henry finished seventh with a throw of 52.68m.
In the boys’ high school javelin competition, Addison James of Edwin Allen High cemented his status as the best young thrower in the region by successfully defending his Penn Relays title. James, the current Dominican national Under-20 record holder, delivered a massive personal best throw of 72.44m to claim gold. That mark stands as the third-best javelin performance in the history of the Penn Relays high school division, marking a dramatic improvement from his 2023 winning throw of 65.98m, which had placed him 10th on the event’s all-time rankings entering this year’s competition.
In the opening day’s other throwing event, Nkosana Johnson of Kingston College claimed third place in the boys’ high school shot put national championships with a throw of 19.15m. Friday’s results once again highlighted the long-standing dominance of Jamaican high school track and field programs in throwing events at the Penn Relays, a tradition that has drawn Caribbean athletes to the iconic Philadelphia competition for decades.