分类： sports

In a display of remarkable marksmanship, Geoffrey Ziadie and Aliana McMaster emerged victorious at the Jackson Bay Sporting Clay Tournament, securing the Highest Overall and Ladies titles respectively. The event, which marked the inaugural competition on the Jamaica Skeet Club’s annual calendar, drew over 100 participants to the Portland Cottage facility in Clarendon last Sunday.

The path to victory proved exceptionally challenging as Ziadie, McMaster, and Peter Mahfood found themselves deadlocked in a three-way tie after each registering impressive scores of 92 out of 100 targets during the main round. This extraordinary parity necessitated a tense shoot-off to determine the ultimate champion. Mahfood secured the runner-up position by hitting four of eight targets, followed closely by McMaster with three successful hits. Ziadie ultimately claimed the top honors by demonstrating exceptional precision with six successful hits.

Reflecting on his victory, the 57-year-old Ziadie attributed his success to mental preparation rather than extensive physical practice. ‘I’ve been doing some mental training and visualization with my coach, Kaleel Azan, and it just worked out great,’ Ziadie explained. ‘Not much practice, but understanding what targets are doing and mentally focusing to shoot, and today was my day.’

McMaster achieved an exceptional triple victory, successfully defending her titles in Ladies, Juniors, and A Class categories. ‘I’m so grateful for all of the titles that I’ve been able to defend and maintain,’ McMaster stated. ‘I’m very grateful for just the opportunity to come out here and compete and then just being able to come out on top.’

The tournament witnessed additional dramatic shoot-offs in other classifications. Rory Wilson secured the B Class championship by breaking five of eight targets against Brian Kong after both competitors finished with 87 points. Similarly, Denzil Dixon claimed the D Class title with four successful hits against Rheis McMaster following an initial tie at 83 points.

Jamaica Skeet Club President Sean Clacken expressed immense satisfaction with the event’s success and emphasized the organization’s commitment to community engagement. ‘We’re extremely happy. Couldn’t ask for anything better,’ Clacken remarked. ‘Every year we try to raise funds towards the Portland Cottage Primary School. We live in a community and operate in a community and we must be part of the community.’

The tournament results showcased exceptional performances across multiple categories, with notable achievements in A Class (Aliana McMaster 92), B Class (Rory Wilson 87), C Class (Max Williams 86), D Class (Denzil Dixon 83), and E Class (Stephen Silvera 79). The event also recognized outstanding performances in Hunters/Beginners, Ladies, Juniors, and Sub-Juniors categories, demonstrating the depth of talent within Jamaica’s shooting sports community.

Jamaican track and field athlete Alliyah McNeil achieved a historic milestone at the Arkansas Invitational on Friday, setting a new University of North Texas high jump record with an impressive clearance of 1.80 meters. The competition, held at the Tyson Indoor Facilities, saw McNeil surpass the previous record of 1.79 meters established by Shahaf Bareni back in 2013.

McNeil, who has previously competed for both Iowa Western and the University of Minnesota, demonstrated her exceptional versatility by also securing second place in the long jump event with a mark of 6.22 meters.

The weekend witnessed several other outstanding performances from Caribbean athletes across various collegiate meets. At the University of Tennessee, former Holmwood Technical ISSA girls’ athletics champion Cedricka Williams achieved a personal best of 19.39 meters in the women’s weight throw, ranking seventh all-time in the university’s history and claiming victory in her event.

Meanwhile, at the HBCU Showcase in New York’s Armory, Hampton University athletes delivered strong performances. Rochele Solmon captured the women’s shot put title with a season’s best throw of 15.05 meters, while her teammate Damali Williams secured second place in the weight throw with a personal best of 16.92 meters.

At the Corky Classic hosted by Texas Tech, Brandon Lloyd of Arizona State earned second place in the men’s shot put with a throw of 18.85 meters. University of Texas athlete Shaiquan Dunn finished sixth in the same event with a mark of 17.78 meters.

Adding to the weekend’s achievements, Malaika Cunningham of Villanova University won the women’s high jump at the Quaker Invitational held at the University of Pennsylvania, clearing 1.73 meters.

MELBOURNE, Australia — The Australian Open commenced under scorching conditions, witnessing commanding performances from top seeds while concluding the historic campaign of tennis legend Venus Williams. World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz launched his quest for a career Grand Slam with a decisive 6-3, 7-6 (7/2), 6-2 victory over Australian wildcard Adam Walton. Despite a challenging second set, the Spaniard expressed satisfaction with his opening-round form as he aims to dethrone reigning champion Jannik Sinner.

Reigning women’s champion Aryna Sabalenka navigated a tricky encounter against French left-hander Tiantsoa Rakotomanga Rajaonah, overcoming initial unforced errors to secure a 6-4, 6-1 win. The Belarusian acknowledged added pressure with tennis icons Roger Federer and Rod Laver observing from courtside.

The tournament’s intense heat approached 30°C (86°F), contributing to dramatic scenes including a ball girl collapsing during Zeynep Sonmez’s match against Ekaterina Alexandrova. Attendance reached a record 100,000 despite complaints about lengthy queues in the oppressive conditions.

Alexander Zverev demonstrated resilience after dropping the first set to Canada’s Gabriel Diallo, rallying to a 6-7 (1/7), 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 victory. The German third seed admitted needing to reset after his early struggles.

The day’s most emotional moment came as 45-year-old Venus Williams, the oldest woman to compete in Australian Open history, fell to Serbia’s Olga Danilovic in a grueling 2-hour, 17-minute battle. Despite flashes of her legendary prowess, Williams succumbed 6-7 (5/7), 6-3, 6-4 to an opponent more than two decades her junior.

Other notable results saw British qualifier Arthur Fery upset 20th seed Flavio Cobolli, while seeded Ukrainians Dayana Yastremska and Marta Kostyuk suffered early exits. The tournament continues with Novak Djokovic and Iga Swiatek headlining Monday’s action.

Jamaica’s All Schools squad has secured a place in the championship match of the Caribbean Americas Soccer Association (CASA) Youth Classic after delivering two dominant performances in the preliminary rounds. The team will compete against Rush in the tournament finale this Sunday at 5:00 PM, hosted at South Florida’s Lauderhill Sports Complex.

The Jamaican team demonstrated remarkable offensive prowess during their opening matches, first defeating Cobras with a decisive 4-0 victory on Friday, followed by a 2-0 triumph over ESP on Saturday. The team’s success was largely propelled by the exceptional performance of striker Kadean Young, who emerged as the tournament’s standout player.

During Friday’s contest, Young opened the scoring in the eighth minute before adding an insurance goal in the 76th minute. His efforts were complemented by teammates Kimarly Scott, who found the net in the 50th minute, and Kaieem Lewis, who scored in the 62nd minute.

The following day, Young continued his scoring dominance by netting both goals in Jamaica’s victory over ESP. His fourth-minute strike established an early advantage, which he reinforced with another goal in the 33rd minute, securing the team’s undefeated path to the championship match.

The upcoming final represents a significant opportunity for Jamaica’s youth soccer program to claim regional supremacy against Rush, setting the stage for an intense competition between two talented squads.

Jamaica’s All-Schools national youth team commenced their CASA Youth Classic title defense in impressive fashion on Friday, securing a commanding 4-0 victory against Tekkerz FC at Lauderhill Sports Park, Florida.

The young Reggae Boyz demonstrated remarkable adaptability and finishing prowess, with St Catherine High’s Kadean Young leading the offensive charge with a brace in the 8th and 76th minutes. Excelsior High’s Kimarly Scott extended the lead shortly after halftime in the 50th minute, while STETHS’ Kaieem Lewis completed the comprehensive victory with a 62nd-minute strike.

Head coach Keon Broderick emphasized the strategic importance of the opening match triumph, noting initial challenges with the artificial turf surface. “The first half began somewhat tentatively as most players were unfamiliar with the astroturf conditions,” Bronderick explained to the Jamaica Observer. “However, once they adjusted to the playing surface, the team settled into an effective rhythm.”

Broderick elaborated on the tactical shift that enabled their second-half dominance: “Our opponents performed commendably in the first period, but our lead forced them to adopt a higher defensive line after halftime. This created exploitable spaces behind their defense which we instructed our players to target with penetrating runs – instructions they executed perfectly.”

While praising the overall performance, the coach maintained perspective: “This represents a solid foundation that we can certainly build upon as the tournament progresses.”

The defending champions continue their campaign against ESP in their second group stage match Saturday evening at 8:30 PM local time, with qualification for Sunday’s championship final as their primary objective.