North Georgetown’s Jason Yaw smashed the boys’ under-20 400m record en route to recording a sprint double but the category’s champion boy’s historic performance was not enough to prevent Upper Demerara/Kwakwani (District 10) from regaining the coveted Champions of Champions trophy.
For the 14th year overall, (five in the last decade) the mainly Lindeners ran away winners of the Guyana Teacher’s Union/Ministry of Education (MOE) National Schools Cycling, Swimming and Track and Field Championships.
The 55th edition of the annual championships which concluded yesterday at the Providence National Stadium, saw the new champions amassing 71 points on the backs of several champion athlete performances by some of the nation’s budding stars.
District 10’s arch rival and the defending champions prior to the start of the championships, North Georgetown were the first runners up with 59 points. The standout districts are now knotted on 14 overall wins apiece.
District Six (Corentyne) was third overall with 47 points.
While the overall honours went to Upper Demerara/Kwakwani, Yaw, the Carifta Games bronze medalist, District mate, Avon Samuels and District 4’s Kenisha Phillips were the talk of this year’s championships.
Phillips smashed the 100m and 200m Girls U-16 records, becoming the fastest female student athlete of all time after clocking an eye-popping 12.0s in the 100m. Outstanding for a 14-year old.
Yaw, one of the faces of junior track and field in the region, clocked a blistering 48.7s in the quarter-mile event to smash the old mark (49.8) which was set in 2012 by Stephan James one day after flirting with the 200m record.
Besides Yaw’s performances, the day’s highlights included the girls U-16 400m record run by Samuels (59.5s) who broke her previous record (1m:00.2s) set at the same venue two years ago.
Daniel Williams of Upper Demerara/ Kwakwani also made hay in the sunshine yesterday, erasing Yaw’s Under-16 record in the 400m final. Williams who owns the U-14 400m record once again placed his name in the record books after clocking 51.0s. Yaw’s record was 51.8s which he set three years ago.
Other winners yesterday included: Matthew McKenzie (District 11) 5000m Boys Open
Shontel Hinds (District 10) 3000m Girls Open and Ian Campbell (District 13) 400m Teacher’s 21-30 years.
Other results for yesterday included:
4 x 100m Boys Open, District 15-winners
4 x100m Girls Open, District 12-winners
Cycling
Devil Takes The Hindmost Boys Open
Andrew Hicks (District 6)
Devil Takes The Hindmost Girls Open
Destheny Lewis (District 15)
The event concluded in the presence of Director of Sport, Christopher Jones, 400m Commonwealth Games gold medalist and four-time Olympian, Aliann Pompey and other notable attendees. (Emmerson Campbell)
