National Schools’ Track and Field Championships…Defending champions on top after day 2

Nov 29, 2017 Sports, https://www.kaieteurnewsonline...-on-top-after-day-2/

Three long Jump records broken

Day two of the National Schools’ Track and Field Championships being held at the Leonora Track and Field facility on the West Coast of Demerara saw District 10 (Upper Demerara/ Kwakwani) close on 87 points to take the day’s honour as the battle for supremacy in the 57th edition of the games continue. The day was occupied predominantly with track heats and field events and little upsets were witnessed along with three long jump records broken.
District Four’s (East Coast Demerara) Toyan Raymond broke a fellow East Coast athlete’s 21-year-old record in the Under-20 girls long jump after leaping to 5.73m. The previous record of 5.47m set at Enmore ground in 1996 was held by Michelle Vaughn.
The boys’ Under-20 long jump record, which stood for 26 years after being set by District three’s (West Demerara) Rickford Deane in 1991 in Linden, was broken by another District Three athlete, Carl Williams, when he leaped 7.11m to win the event.
The other long jump record was set by CARIFTA games multiple silver medalist, and South American Youth Championships bronze medalist, Chantoba Bright of District 10, who soared an excellent 5.89m in the girls Under-18 long jump final. She broke her own record of 5.40 which is set last year at the National Stadium, Providence.
West Demerara’s (District 3)Joanna Archer, who is the reigning Inter Guiana Games 800m and 1500m champion, won her Under-18 400m heat in fine style as her home crowd watched her cross the finish line in 59.63 seconds, three seconds ahead of second placed Tandika Haynes of New Amsterdam/Canje (District 15) to move into the finals. Meanwhile, South America 400m Youth Champion Deshanna Skeete cruised to victory in her girls’ Under-16 heat to finish in a time of 58.11 seconds to qualify for the final.
In the boys’ 400m heats, District 10’s (Upper Demerara/ Kwakwani) Murphy Nash won the first Under-16 preliminary race in 53.73 seconds, while World Silver medalist Daniel Williams qualified for the Under-18 final in a cruising time of 51.08 seconds. Laurindo Prince of District 15 won the first 400m open heat in a blistering 49.2 seconds.
The competition resumes today with one of the most anticipated finals, that of the 100m which will see the stiff competition in the male and female Under-14, 16, 18 and 20 age categories being run off at Leonora. In addition, the male and female Under-14, 16, 18 and 20 age groups is anticipated to have stiff rivalry in the 800m finals today as well.