Tue | Jun 6, 2023

#Champs2023 | Smith Band impressive ahead of 200 finals

Published:Friday | March 31, 2023 | 6:08 PM
Malique Smith Band looks a picture of comfort during his ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys and Girls' Athletics Championships boys' 200-metre semi-finals inside the National Stadium earlier this evening.
Gladstone Taylor
Malique Smith Band looks a picture of comfort during his ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys and Girls' Athletics Championships boys' 200-metre semi-finals inside the National Stadium earlier this evening.

After his silver-medal-winning performance in the ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys and Girls’ Athletics boys’ Class One 400 metres, Jamaica College’s (JC) Malique Smith Band looks a man on a mission ahead of tomorrow’s 200-metre semi-finals inside the National Stadium.

Smith Band, goes into tomorrow’s final with the fastest semi-final time, and possibly with the most left in the tank despite his exploits over the one-lap event.

The JC man, clocked 21.48 seconds in a semi-final heat that included St Elizabeth Technical’s Javorne Dunkley, 21.61 for second, and St Jago’s Raheem Pinnock in 21.97. Pinnock qualified as a non-automatic qualifier.

Kingston College’s (KC) Marcinho Rose, 21.50, Smith Band’s teammate, Jaiden Reid, 21.56, have also qualified for the final in good shape.

Calabar High School’s Zacre Braham, 21.89, KC’s Emmanuel Rwotomiy, 22.15, and St Andrew Technical High School’s Chevoney Reid, 22.14, round out the qualifiers.

In Class Two, Wolmer’s Boys’ School’s Ainsley McGregor, with 22.02 is the quickest through to the final, with KC stand-out Tahj-Marques White looking the most likely winner despite his 22.56 qualification.

St Elizabeth Technical High School’s Sawayne Kerr, 22.78, KC’s Nyrone Wade, who went to the line with McGregor in his semi-final in an equivalent 22.02, Greater Portmore’s Tyreek Robinson, 22.82, Calabar’s Khamani Gordon, 22.94, St Catherine’s Charles Right, 22.32, and Johan-Ramaldo Smy, 22.40, are the other finalists.

Among the Class Threes, KC’s Jordan Rehedul comes into the final with the quickest time, having clocked 23.34, with JC’s Malique Dennis, fourth with his 23.40.

Dennis has been impressive this season but could not get the better of STETHS’ Shaun Lewis, who won semi-final heat one in 23.55.

Calabar’s Byron Walker is also through to the final with his 24.43, and is joined in the final by Cornwall College’s Requelme Reid, 24.08, Calabar’s Christopher Ellis, 23.59, St Jago’s Ravj Reece, 23.81, and Cornwall’s Thomas Daley, 23.89.

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