分类： sports

Jamaica’s Inter-secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA) has emerged from one of the toughest stretches in its modern history, pulling off full seasons of interscholastic sports against the dual threats of post-hurricane infrastructure damage and lingering COVID-19 pandemic disruptions. The crisis began last October, when Hurricane Melissa made landfall along Jamaica’s western coast right in the middle of the annual schoolboy football season, bringing all competition to a near total halt for roughly four weeks. The storm hit hardest at local educational institutions across the affected region, including St Elizabeth Technical High School — the campus where ISSA President Keith Wellington serves as principal. In the months that followed, the organisation faced a fresh test: preparing for the iconic ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys’ and Girls’ Athletics Championships, widely known as Champs, scheduled for this past March. Ultimately, just 25 schools from the hurricane-ravaged western parishes were able to field teams and participate in this year’s flagship competition. In the wake of the storm, dozens of institutions across western Jamaica continued operating at severely reduced capacity. Many campuses were converted into emergency shelters for displaced local residents, while others remained without reliable electrical power for weeks after the storm passed. Hundreds of student-athletes were displaced from their home parishes and forced to relocate to temporary accommodation across the island. Some schools suspended entire sports programs indefinitely to focus on recovery efforts, and many even held regular classes outdoors while crews worked to repair storm-damaged campus facilities. Wellington, who is currently serving his third term as ISSA president after first taking office in 2019, says the organisation would not have pulled off its competition calendar without cross-community collaboration. In a recent interview with the Jamaica Observer, he outlined the collective effort that kept school sports alive through the crisis. “It has been challenging, but I think we have a great team at ISSA, both in terms of the staff, as well as the executive. When we’re talking about Champs specifically, that extends to the persons who assisted with organising the event, the schools themselves, and their representatives,” Wellington explained. “I think that because we all work together it makes it a lot easier, and I think, as well, that those of us who are involved know the value of what we do for our children. Therefore we remain committed and we make the sacrifices to ensure that the opportunities are there for them. If we don’t ensure that it is there, even under trying circumstances, the long term effects would be too much for any of us to bear.” The recent stretch of disruptions echoes the unprecedented crisis ISSA faced in March 2020, when Jamaica confirmed its first locally transmitted case of COVID-19 just days before that year’s Champs was set to begin. The event was cancelled outright — the first cancellation of the championships since 1944, when the event was put on hold amid global World War II restrictions. Interscholastic school sports eventually resumed under strict public health protocols, including a period where competitions were held without any spectators in attendance. Even with the cumulative impact of back-to-back crises over the past five years, Wellington frames ongoing challenges not as a barrier to progress, but as a source of motivation for himself and the broader ISSA team. “I thrive on challenges,” he said. “I grew up having challenges in my personal life and it makes me stronger and makes me a better person. So, I don’t necessarily look at challenges as obstacles but as an antidote to make me stronger. So, I don’t really complain or think negatively about challenges. At the end of the day, I believe that once I give it my best shot, I will be happy and I will benefit from it too.” Most recently, the organisation has celebrated key competition milestones, including St Elizabeth Technical High School’s December 2025 victory in the ISSA daCosta Cup final at Kingston’s National Stadium, where the team defeated Glenmuir High School on penalties after a 0-0 regulation draw. In March 2026, Jamaica College’s under-14 team also claimed the title in the ISSA/Burger King Urban Under-14 competition, overcoming Kingston College 4-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw at Stadium East.

At the 130th running of the iconic Penn Relays Carnival held at Philadelphia’s Franklin Field, a bold strategic call by Jamaica’s Hydel High School delivered a historic result: the program claimed its fifth consecutive Championships of the Americas 4x400m title on Friday, clocking the third-fastest time in the event’s 130-year history.

In a high-risk move that defied traditional multi-event competition norms, Hydel High’s coaching staff elected to skip both the 4x100m and 4x800m relays to concentrate the team’s limited energy and roster depth exclusively on the 4x400m. The gamble nearly fell short, as the squad trailed rival Edwin Allen High for nearly the entire race before anchor leg runner Nastassia Fletcher made a decisive pass in the final 60 meters to secure the win.

Hydel crossed the finish line in 3:02.85? No, the official time was 3:32.85 seconds, a mark that cements its place in Penn Relays record books. Edwin Allen, one of Hydel’s longstanding Caribbean rivals, finished second with a time of 3:33.24 seconds — the fastest ever performance by the program at the Penn Relays and the fourth-fastest mark recorded in the history of the championship race. Bullis School from Maryland rounded out the top three with a time of 3:38.46 seconds.

Head coach Corey Bennett adjusted his lineup between Thursday’s preliminary rounds and Friday’s championship final, rearranging the running order to maximize the team’s speed profile. The adjusted final squad opened with first-leg runner Sashashunta Hemmings, followed by Sashanna Johnson on the second leg, Aaliyah Mullings on the third, and anchored by Fletcher. Friday’s win marks Hydel High’s 11th Penn Relays championship wheel (the iconic trophy awarded to relay winners at the event) in the 4x400m discipline.

In additional results from the championship race, Jamaica’s Holmwood Technical finished fourth in 3:39.43 seconds, while Alphansus Davis took eighth place with a time of 3:50.48 seconds.

On Thursday, the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai played host to a lopsided 33rd match of the 2026 TATA Indian Premier League, where Chennai Super Kings delivered a masterclass in all-round cricket to secure a resounding 103-run win over home side Mumbai Indians.

Mumbai captain Hardik Pandya won the pre-match toss and opted to put Chennai into bat first, a decision that appeared to pay off early when young quick Allah Ghazanfar broke through in the third over, dismissing Chennai skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad for 22 runs. But what looked like a strong start for the home side quickly unraveled thanks to a career-best innings from star wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson.

Samson stepped onto the pitch with clear intent, putting on a flawless display of controlled power hitting that enthralled even the partisan Mumbai crowd. He notched up his second century of the 2026 campaign, finishing unbeaten on 101 runs off just 54 deliveries. His innings was decorated with 10 sharp, well-placed boundaries and six towering sixes that cleared the rope with ease, leaving spectators in awe of his timing and precision.

Chennai faced a mid-innings collapse scare when Ghazanfar claimed two quick wickets, removing Shivam Dube and Dewald Brevis in consecutive overs to leave the side at 122 for 4. But Samson found a reliable anchor in lower-order batter Kartik Sharma, who contributed 18 runs to a 43-run fifth-wicket stand that stabilized the innings. This partnership gave Samson the platform to accelerate in the death overs, and a quick-fire cameo of 15 runs off 7 balls from Jamie Overton added late momentum. Samson closed out the innings with a flourish, smashing two sixes and a boundary off Krish Bhagat’s final over to reach his century and lift Chennai to a daunting total of 207 runs for 6 wickets.

The Mumbai chase never got off the ground, with the home side rocked in the very first over of their innings. Drafted in as Chennai’s Impact Player, West Indian left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein turned in a match-winning bowling masterclass that tore through Mumbai’s top order before the run chase could gain traction. Hosein dismissed openers Danish Malewar and Naman Dhir in quick succession, leaving Mumbai reeling at 11 runs for 3 wickets by the end of the third over.

Mumbai’s star batters Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma attempted to rebuild the innings, putting together a 60-run fourth-wicket stand that briefly halted the side’s collapse. Suryakumar notched 36 runs off 30 balls, while Tilak contributed 37 runs off 29 deliveries, but their resistance was broken when Hosein returned to the attack to claim both of their wickets. The spinner finished his spell with sensational match figures of 4 wickets for just 17 runs, putting Mumbai completely out of the contest. Fellow spinner Noor Ahmad piled on the pressure, removing Hardik Pandya and Sherfane Rutherford off consecutive deliveries to further cement Chennai’s dominance, with the match ending in a 103-run victory for the visitors before the full allotment of overs could be completed.

PHILADELPHIA — The 130th Penn Relays Carnival got off to a thrilling start at Franklin Field Thursday, with Jamaican high school programs delivering a stunning series of performances that have positioned them as overwhelming favorites across multiple championship events heading into the competition’s second day. Blessed with near-ideal sunny conditions that saw temperatures hover in the mid-20s Celsius — far milder than many forecast — Jamaican athletes dominated qualifying rounds for all three high school girls relay competitions and claimed three gold medals in individual field events, setting the stage for a historic day of finals.

Leading the charge is Edwin Allen High, which became the only program to qualify all three of its relay squads — 4x100m, 4x400m, and 4x800m — for the upcoming day’s finals. The squad already holds a historic legacy at the event, having claimed eight of the last 11 High School Girls 4x100m Championships of the Americas titles, and is chasing a fifth consecutive victory in the event Thursday. Edwin Allen clocked the fastest qualifying time of 45.63 seconds, cementing its status as the starting favorite. They will be joined in the final by fellow Jamaican squads St Jago High (45.73s), Excelsior High (46.03s), and first-time qualifiers Mt Alvernia High (46.35s), with an additional eight Jamaican teams advancing to the High School Girls International consolation final for non-American squads.

The 4x400m final is shaping up to be one of the most anticipated races of the entire carnival, after three Jamaican schools all clocked qualifying times under 3 minutes 40 seconds Thursday. Hydel High, gunning for its fourth straight 4x400m title, posted the fastest qualifying mark of 3:39.55, edging out Edwin Allen’s 3:39.56 by just one hundredth of a second. Holmwood Technical rounded out the sub-3:40 trio with a 3:39.82 run, while Alphansus Davis High also advanced with a 3:44.81. The top American contender, Bullis School of Maryland, qualified fourth with 3:40.24, trailing all three leading Jamaican squads.

In the 4x800m relay, Sydney Pagon STEM Academy — making just its second appearance at the Penn Relays — shocked observers by clocking the fastest qualifying time of 9:01.33 in the very first event of Thursday’s competition. The squad, anchored by a strong anchor leg from Alexia Palmer, finished ahead of former champion Edwin Allen (9:02.66), who also advanced. Last year’s second-place finishers Alphansus Davis won their qualifying heat in 9:08.30, while another former champion Holmwood Tech secured its final spot with a 9:14.80 run.

Jamaican success was not limited to the track, with athletes delivering standout performances in the field competition to turn previous disappointments into gold. Clarendon College’s Marla-Kay Lampart rebounded from a disappointing 11th-place finish in 2024 to claim the high school girls shot put championship, launching a personal best 14.41m on her final throw to take the title. Lampart, who entered the competition targeting the 14.50m qualifying mark for the World Under-20 Championships, took the lead in the third round with a 14.10m throw and held on to become the first Jamaican winner of the event since 2023. She finished ahead of Isabella Furgison of Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania (14.08m) and Nesta Oji of Livingston, New Jersey (13.43m), though her win comes with uncertainty: Lampart revealed she may end her season early to treat a sore elbow and nagging lower back pain.

In the high school girls triple jump, Hydel High’s Zavien Bernard completed a historic season treble — adding a Penn Relays gold to his already claimed ISSA Championships and Carifta Games titles — with a dramatic come-from-behind win. Entering the final round in second place behind Seannah Parsons of Randolph, New Jersey, Bernard landed a wind-aided 12.76m jump (with a 3.1m/s tailwind) to snatch the gold, extending Jamaica’s consecutive winning streak in the event to four. Parsons finished second with 12.68m, while Jamaican athletes Mikayla Longmore of Holmwood Technical and Martina Moxam of Vere Technical finished fifth and tenth respectively.

Additional top finishes for Jamaican athletes included Edwin Allen High’s Dionjah Shaw taking silver in the discus throw with a 48.87m best, Immaculate Conception’s Zoelle Jamel claiming silver in the javelin throw with 48.84m, and Mt Alvernia High’s Malia Housen finishing sixth in the high jump on her first Penn Relays appearance. With all three relay finals set to take place Thursday, fans are expecting a historic day of competition that could cement Jamaican high school track and field’s status as the dominant force in youth relay competition at one of the world’s oldest and most prestigious track and field carnivals.

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.

On Saturday, April 18, 2026, a rising star in North American thoroughbred racing cemented his status as one of the most promising three-year-olds on the circuit, securing his second consecutive dominant win to take home the $1.4 million Saint Cecelia Cup feature at Jamaica’s iconic Caymanas Park.

Conditioned by Anthony “Baba” Nunes, a three-time former champion trainer widely regarded as one of the sport’s leading talents, the talented young colt delivered a masterclass in front-running racing. Competing in the Overnight Allowance event open to three-year-olds and older runners over the 6½ furlong (1,300 meter) distance, Sir Don crossed the finish line a full 3¾ lengths ahead of his closest competitor, building on an impressive prior win over 7½ furlongs (1,500 meters) just weeks earlier.

With his regular jockey Raddesh “Sneaky Fox” Roman in the irons, Sir Don broke cleanly and quickly from starting gate number two, wasting no time to claim the front position before the field had even traveled a furlong. As the pack settled approaching the half-mile (800 meter) mark, the early chase was led by Goodbye Firefly, ridden by Tajay Suckoo, followed closely by Wall Street Trader with Christopher Mamdeen up and Zulu Warrior, piloted by Tyrese Anderson.

Pre-race hype centered on a highly anticipated showdown between Sir Don and Mojito, the defending Jamaica Cup champion who entered the event as the second-ranked favorite. That expected clash never materialized, however. The fan-favorite grey runner, widely billed as the most accomplished horse in the 12-horse field, got off to a slow start out of the gate. While he gained some ground mid-race, he never found his stride to challenge the leader, holding a spot no higher than fourth for the entirety of the contest.

On a rain-soaked, sloppy track that had been softened by pre-race showers, Sir Don shifted into another gear as the field turned for home and entered the final stretch. Displaying a level of poise and competitive grit that defied his young age, he rapidly opened a clear gap over the rest of the chasing pack and powered down the stretch in unchallenged fashion, leaving other contenders to fight only for the lower podium positions.

When the field crossed the wire, Sir Don was well clear of the pack, with Goodbye Firefly taking second place, Wall Street Trader securing third, and Zulu Warrior finishing fourth. Mojito, making his first start of the 2026 season, never mounted a late charge to threaten the top positions.

The win has solidified Sir Don’s fast-growing reputation as a future star in the sport, with racing analysts noting that the young three-year-old is seamlessly closing the gap between age-group competition and elite open class with apparent ease. That trajectory points to a promising future in higher-stakes races in the coming months.

Speaking to reporters on race day, Nigel Burke, who was filling in for his uncle trainer Anthony Nunes, downplayed his own role in the victory. “I had not much to tell the jockey. He has ridden him [Sir Don] for all his starts and so I just told him it is up to him, good luck and safe trip,” Burke explained. “I am just here to cover for my uncle but the team has done a great job with him. I just kind of oversaw everything. I watched his replay last time and he seemed to love the sloppy condition and so I wasn’t concerned about the rain.”

The event was documented by photographer Naphtali Junior, who captured images of groom Steven Smith leading the champion colt into the winner’s enclosure, as well as jockey Raddesh Roman unsaddling Sir Don after the race.