KINGSTON, Jamaica – The stage is set for a spectacular showdown in the sprint events as Jamaica’s top high school athletes prepare for the 200m finals at the prestigious ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys and Girls Athletic Championship this Saturday.
In the Boys’ Class 1 category, defending champion Sanjay Seymore from William Knibb Memorial High School positioned himself as the clear favorite after dominating the qualifying rounds with an impressive time of 20.85 seconds. The talented sprinter faces formidable competition from Jamaica College’s Makaelan Woods, who clocked 20.97 seconds, and Camperdown High’s Deequan Maragh, who finished close behind with 21.03 seconds. Additional contenders include Omary Robinson of Jamaica College (21.11 seconds) and St. Mary High’s Tenny Daley (21.14 seconds).
The Class 2 event promises equal excitement with Kingston College’s Jason Pitter seeking to upgrade his bronze medal from last year. Fresh from his astonishing 400m victory on Thursday where he clocked 45.76 seconds, speculation mounts whether Pitter can challenge the meet record of 20.80 seconds established by Christopher Taylor of Calabar High in 2016. Pitter qualified second with 21.33 seconds, trailing only his teammate Emmile Higgins who led qualifying with 21.12 seconds. Other finalists include Mario Ross of Wolmer’s Boys’ School (21.46 seconds) and Rajaun Romelly of St. Jago High (21.71 seconds).
In Class 3 action, Kemanic Edwards of Kingston College and Wolmer’s Joshua McWilliams, the 100m silver medalist, both recorded identical times of 22.32 seconds in their semi-final heats. They will be joined by 100m champion Ajani Lumley of Wolmer’s (22.75 seconds) and Jamaica College’s Deandre Parker (22.79 seconds) in what promises to be a highly competitive final.