-Abbensetts, Caesar, Sampson, Griffith also blaze to wins
One of the fastest men in Schools Track and Field history, Kevin Abbensetts claimed his second gold medal of this year’s 53rd Championships yesterday with an emphatic victory in the Boys 200m under-20 final.
The muscular District 11 sprinter set the track at the Providence National Stadium ablaze by storming to glory in 22.1s, one day after equaling Julian Edmonds’ 21-year old record in the marquee 100 metre event.
Abbensetts led District 13’s Selwin Foster (22.3s) and District Four’s Samuel Doris (23.3s) onto the podium.
Running out of lane five, Abbensetts was ahead of Foster with five paces after an explosive start.
As he rounded out the bend, Foster briefly threatened from lane four but teeth clenched, eyes on the finish line, the meet’s fastest man had enough on his nearest challenger to slow down before the line, raising his fingers to his lips as he did so.
Whether the gesture was for Foster’s supporters or doubters only Abbensetts knows but his victory underlined his position as one of Guyana’s greatest high school sprinters.
Jason Yaw continued his gold medal heist yesterday in record book fashion by smashing the 200m under-18 record by half of a second emphatically erasing Doris’ mark which was set last year at the same venue.
The budding track star clocked 22.0s and will be looking to secure the treble when he competes in his pet event, the 400 metres today.
Yaw whose only competition has been the clock and the head wind, led from the smoke of the pistol and changed gears again on the final straight to separate himself from District 11’s Arinze Chance (22.2s) and District 10’s Shaquille Smartt (22.9s).
District 10‘s under-16 Compton Caesar (23.2s), District 11‘s under-16 Jevina Sampson (26.0s), and District 10‘s under-20 Shannon Griffith (26.4s) also completed sprint doubles after winning their 200m events.
Avon Samuels (District 11) won the under-18 girls 200m event in 26.2s ahead of Linden’s Kelanie Griffith and District 12’s Mearisha Carter.
Under-16, Jamal Johnson also doubled up but in record breaking fashion. The District 10 athlete smashed the Boys under-18 1500m record one day after rewriting the record books in the half-mile event.
The Linden prodigy clocked an eye popping four minutes, 26.5 seconds to erase the old record (4:29.7) set by Daniel Felix at Albion in 2009.
Johnson told this publication that he is looking forward to breaking the 3000m record today.
District Four’s Andrea Foster (under-18), District 10‘s Cassey George (under-16) and District Four’s Ornesto Thomas (under-18) also completed the 800m-1500m double in their respective categories.
District Six’s Denzil Lietch and District 10‘s Shenika Chapman were the Boys and Girls under-20 winners of the 1500m event.
Cycling Results
3000m Boys Open
Michael Anthony (District 10)
Hamzah Eastman (District 11)
Andre Green (District Six)
3000m Boys under-16
Andrew Hicks (District Six)
Tarique Williams (District 10)
Jaleel Jackson (District 13)
1000m Boys Open
Akeem Arthur (District 10)
Elijah Brijadder (District Six)
Alonzo Ambrose (District 11)
1000m Girls Open
Marica Dick (District 15)
Naomi Alsopp (District 10)
Shivanie Wilson (District Five)
1000m Boys under-16
Romello Crawford (District Six)
Shemar Sears (District 13)
Amo Gomes (District 11)
After 93 finals, District 10 leads the points tally with 536 points. District 11 and Three are second and third with 347 and 299 points respectively.
Today’s action of the final day of the 53rd Guyana Teachers’ Union/Ministry of Education (MOE) National School’s Cycling, Swimming and Track and Field Championships starts at 09:00hrs. The 400 metre events, the relays, the 5000m and the 3000m are set to take centre stage.
