Paul A Reid, Staff Reporter
PHILADELPHIA, Pa.:
THE University of Technology (UTech) created history on yesterday's final day of the 109th Penn Relays Carnival in Philadelphia when they became the first Jamaican College team to win a College Championships event after taking the 4x200m.
The foursome of Ainsley Waugh, Winston Smith, Oral Thompson and Asafa Powell ran a blistering 1:21.73 seconds to take the title after Texas, who finished ahead of them, did so without the baton having dropped it at the last change-over.
The win, which was faster than both the 1:22.11 seconds run by a Jamaica national team including William Knibb schoolboy Usain Bolt earlier, and a win by William Knibb in the High School boys 'Small Schools' 4x100m consolation finals, was the highlight of the Caribbean country on a cold, rain-swept day.
Dennis Johnson, head of the sports department at UTech, praise the victory saying it was unprecedented and would do well for their programme.
The Usain Bolt-led Williams Knibb team that included Neville Coleman running lead off, Raymond Campbell on the third leg and anchor man Jermaine Stewart ran a well controlled race to finish ahead of Bloomfield of Connecticut with 42.33 seconds in the 'Small Schools' sprint relay final. Bridgeport ended third in 42.93 while Munro took sixth in 43.81. Vere Technical failed to finish.
Kingston College's Carlos Mattis also retained the High School boys' triple jump with a best mark of 14.94m, well below his best of 15.61m. He told The Gleaner afterwards that the conditions affected him.
"The conditions are deplorable," Mattis said of the wet and cold under which he performed, saying it was the worst he had ever participated in. Morant Bay High's Wilbert Walker was second with 14.80, while another Kingston College athlete, Wasim Walker, was fourth with 14.23m.
Another KC athlete, Kimani Williams, was second in the 400m hurdles, running 52.59 seconds in a steady but persistent drizzle. Isa Phillips of St. Andrew Technical was fourth in 53.07 seconds.
Jamaica's boys failed to take one single Championship of Americas event for the first time in four years after last year's winner Holmwood were beaten in the finals of the 4x800m and only Calabar managed to make it to the finals of the 4x400m where they finished seventh out of eight teams.
Long Beach Poly team from California continued their dominance of the High schools section when they won the mile relay with a swift 3:11.22 seconds clocking.
Calabar emerged the best-placed Jamaican team in the 4x100m Championships event, finishing fifth, while Kingston College ended seventh and Ardenne eighth.
Batons were flying all over the place especially in the morning session when favourites Kingston College and Jamaica College both failed to finish the same heat of the mile relay.
Jamaica College's lead off runner Rommell Blackwood was tripped and hurt his right knee at about the 200m mark, while Kingston College's Class two champion Andre Wellington had the baton knocked from his grasp as the runner from Vineland High tried to pass with less than 150 metres to go.
Earlier a Bridgeport runner also fell on the second leg and never recovered, finishing well back in last position.
The senior men fared no better as they were well set with a strong team in the mile relay in the 'USA vs the World' series but a mix up between lead runner Davian Clarke and Danny McFarlane saw the baton fall to the track, knocking the team out of contention. World number one male quarter-miler, Michael Blackwood, and Gregory Haughton, were set to run the respective third and anchor legs for Jamaica.
