KINGSTON, Jamaica — Jamaican high school track and field sensation Marla-Kay Lampart has positioned herself as the athlete to beat in the Class 1 girls’ shot put competition at the prestigious ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys and Girls Athletics Championships. During Wednesday’s qualifying rounds at the National Stadium, the Clarendon College standout delivered a commanding performance with a top throw of 13.66 meters, securing her place in the final with the leading mark.
This year’s championship holds particular significance for Lampart, who endured a disappointing fifth-place finish at last year’s event despite entering as a medal favorite. The young athlete demonstrated remarkable resilience following that setback, achieving redemption just weeks later by shattering the national junior record with an extraordinary 17.44-meter throw at the Carifta Games.
Lampart’s road to qualification required two attempts to surpass the automatic qualifying threshold, despite having recorded a season’s best of 14.52 meters earlier this year at the Central Championships. Her performance establishes her as the frontrunner in a competitive field that includes several talented contenders.
Wolmer’s Girls’ Bethany Thomas emerged as the closest competitor, registering an impressive 13.65 meters, just one centimeter behind Lampart’s leading mark. Edwin Allen High’s Dionjah Shaw also showcased her consistency, qualifying for her third final of the championships with a throw of 13.45 meters.
The final round will feature additional qualifiers including Vere Technical’s Gabriel Merchant, Immaculate Conception’s Jada Francis, Merl Grove’s Abigail Bennett, and St Jago’s Rehanna Biggs, setting the stage for an intensely competitive conclusion to the shot put event.