Ian Allen/Staff Photographer
St Jago's Nickel Ashmeade (left) storms home to beat Calabar's Ramone McKenzie (centre) and highly fancied teammate Yohan Blake in the boys' Class One 200 metres final yesterday. Ashmeade won in 21.04 seconds, ahead of McKenzie (21.05) and Blake (21.31).

Elton Tucker, Assistant Sport Editor

CALABAR HIGH held off a persistent challenge from archrivals Kingston College to notch their 21st lien on the Mortimer Geddes Trophy on the fourth and final day of the GraceKennedy/ISSA Boys' and Girls' Championships at the National Stadium yesterday.

KC, the 30-time champions, chased relentlessly from the opening event but Calabar maintained at least an eight-point gap the entire day. Victory was virtually sealed for the Red Hills Road-based school after Jovan Hardware cleared 2.05 metres to win the Class Two high jump ahead of KC's Jonathan Reid, 2.00m. At that point, Calabar led by as many as 33 points with just seven of 37 events, including the relays, to come.

At press time last night with the boys' Class One high jump, 5,000m and 4x400m to be completed, Calabar were on 255 points. KC 213, Jamaica College 153, St. Jago 129 and Wolmer's 121 completed the top five.

Top five girls teams

The top five girls teams after 41 events were Holmwood 321, Vere 196.5, Edwin Allen 184, Manchester 141 and St. Jago 120.5.

The girls' title was sewn up by Holmwood Technical even before competition began on the final day. The now six-time champions came into yesterday leading by 63.5 points, 151 to Vere Technical's 87.5 and piled on the points on the final afternoon.

The much-anticipated Class One sprint relay clash between Calabar and St. Jago High failed to materialise. St Jago, who set a fantastic 39.78 seconds record in the heats on Wednesday, did not get the baton around. They fumbled the first change and fell well behind and did not complete the second handover. Calabar's boys kept cool heads and won in 40.28 seconds from Camperdown, 40.59, and Herbert Morrison, 40.79.

In one of the big sprint events of the final day, 100m champion Yohan Blake fell victim to his teammate, Nickel Ashmeade, and Calabar's Ramone McKenzie in the Class One boys' 200m final.

Blake led 50 metres out and as the more than 15,000 spectators rose to their feet, he was gobbled up by the far-striding McKenzie. No sooner had McKenzie taken the lead, however, then Ashmeade came with a storming run to grab gold on the line. Only one-hundredth of a second separated the top two athletes. Ashmeade got the nod in 21.04 seconds, McKenzie was next in 21.05 and Blake faded to third in 21.31.

Calabar had started the day by taking two of three 400m finals. Carlton Cousins powered through in the straight to score an emphatic victory in the Class Three boys' 400m final. Cousins clocked 51.99 seconds to finish ahead of St Elizabeth Technical's Demar Levy (52.36) and Deveraux Senior of Wolmer's Boys, 52.69.

Destroyed rivals

McKenzie, running out of lane eight, destroyed his rivals from the front to hand Calabar their second victory in the Class One 400m final. The 2007 Class Two champion, crossed the line in 46.62. Pre-meet favourite Riker Hylton of St. Jago was well back in second (47.33) while Darrion Bent of Manning's took third in 47.52.

Holmwood's Bobby-Gaye Wilkins bagged the Class One one-lap event easily in 52.46, brushing aside challenges from second-placed Kayon Robinson of Vere (54.67) and bronze medal winner Shakeeri Cole of Edwin Allen, 54.85.

The other 400m champions were Sandrae Farquharson of Manchester High, 54.25, in the girls' Class Three, Herbert Morrison's pair of Antonique Campbell and Teivaskie Lewin in Class Two. Campbell won the girls' event in 54.58 while Lewin captured the boys' race in 48.63.

In the Class One girls' 100m hurdles final. Rosemarie Carty of the Convent of Mercy (Alpha) came back from an injury which kept her out of last year's meet to win the event in 14.17. Wolmer's Janelle Gordon took silver in 14.25 and Kaymarie Jones of Vere was third in 14.41.

Jamaica College's Waqar DaCosta added 800m gold to the 1,500m crown he won on Friday evening. DaCosta won the Class Two 800m in 1:57.77, beating his teammate Earl Grant, 1:58.22. Holmwood's Kevin White was third in 1:59.20.

Campion's Theon O'Connor retained the Class One 800m title clocking 1:51.15 to beat Conroy Crossman of Edwin Allen, 1:53.03, and Calabar's 1,500m champion Andre Thomas, 1;54.30.