Mission 36 begins
Phillips hopes long jump win can kick-start KC title defence
Published:Thursday | March 27, 2025 | 12:12 AMGregory Bryce/Staff Reporter
HAVING CLAIMED the first gold medal on schedule at the ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys and Girls’ Athletics Championships yesterday, Kingston College’s (KC) Amani Phillips hopes that topping the Boys’ Class Two long jump can kick-start his school’s title defence.
Phillips leapt 7.15 metres to get the better of St Elizabeth Technical High School’s (STETHS) Rodeeki Walters, 7.09, while Excelsior’s Michael Graham rounded off the podium with 7.02.
Despite the win, Phillips was saddened to see the heartbreak of his teammate, Omarian Miller, who was fourth with a distance of 6.84.
Miller was third leading up to the the final jump but was pushed off the podium as Walters of STETHS moved from fourth into second with his final effort.
“It’s a pleasure to win, but I wanted the quinella, and unfortunately, we didn’t get it today. It is very important that we do well because it was the first final, and we wanted to set the bar for the others to follow,” Phillips told The Gleaner after consoling his teammate.
Having fouled his first attempt, Phillips started his day modestly with a mark of 6.18 before taking the lead with a massive improvement, jumping to 7.14.
He would keep the lead throughout the contest and was confirmed as the champion before his final jump, where he enjoyed a slight improvement, ending at 7.15.
Phillips explained that he was hoping to improve on his personal best of 7.30, a mark he fell short of on the day.
“I really wanted to set a new personal best. I wanted to PB, so that is why I did the last jump. Unfortunately, I didn’t get it because my PB is 7.30, and I didn’t get close to it today. The PB was what really pushed me to do the last jump.”
Phillips said a major motivation for him was to make up for the blow to KC’s programme after Class One long jump medal contender Shamir Kelly failed to advance to the final.
Phillips said that under his coach’s instructions, his duty was to claim the Class Two title and begin their march towards their fourth-straight - and 36th overall - boys’ title.
With Phillips and Miller’s placements, KC picked up a massive 14-point haul to boost their title contention.
With Jamaica College (JC) not fielding any finalists in the event, and Calabar’s lone competitor Richard Green placing fifth, picking up four points, it was a great start to the championships for the North Street-based school.
“Our coach told us to come out here and show what we have been training for. We were motivated after missing out in Class One. It really pushed us,” he explained.
“Mission 36 is really important for us to celebrate our 100 years of excellence. Purple and white for life!”