Gordon bested over 800 at Invitational
BY HOWARD WALKER Observer senior reporter walkerh@jamaicaobserver.com
Sunday, March 18, 2012
NATIONAL 400m record-holder Jermaine Gonzales of Racers Track Club opened his season with a fine 45.92secs win at the 10th UWI Track and Field Invitational yesterday, which also saw Trinidad and Tobago’s 400m hurdles prodigy Jehue Gordon compete in the 800m.
Gonzales, who previously ran a leg on Racer’s 4x400m in the heat at Gibson Relays, looked comfortable and held off the challenge of his cousin and teammate Allodin Fothergill, who finished second in 46.22.
Meanwhile Gordon, who finished fourth at the Berlin World Championship in 2009 as an 18-year-old in the 400m hurdles and a Trinidad and Tobago national record-holder with 48.26 seconds, was caught close home in the Men’s 800m Olympic Development race by Darryll Oliver of UTech, 1:54.45.
He finished second in 1:54.76secs and was fourth overall in the time final behind Ricardo Cunningham of UTech, 1:51.62.
“I was just trying to go through my race plan, which my coach told me to do. I wanted to run 1:53, but I think I came back a bit too slow,” Gordon told the Sunday Observer.
“I wasn’t challenged throughout the race and I didn’t see the competition, but for me that was a good start. My training is coming along great and I’m concentrating on some work at this point in time,” he noted.
Gordon, 20, who represented the UWI, St Augustine Campus in Trinidad and Tobago, is pleased with his preparations so far and thinks he can medal at the London Olympics.
“I am expected to medal just like everyone else. No one name is posted on the medals yet, so everybody has an equal chance,” he pointed out.
Jamaica’s 400m champion Rosemarie Whyte of Racer won the Women’s 400m Olympic Development in 51.86secs ahead of MVP and Olympic 100m silver medallist Sherone Simpson, 52.77.
World Championship 100m hurdles champion Brigitte Foster-Hylton placed second in her heat of the 400m in 53.87, behind Sheryl Morgan, 53.79.
Berlin 2009 World championship 400m silver medallist Shericka Williams of MVP went for strength work and finished third in the 800m in 2:15.19, behind winner Willomena Williams of UTech, 2:12.59.
Top schoolboy sprinter, Jazeel Murphy of Bridgeport High, captured the Class 1 100m event with an easy 10.78 seconds. Wolmer’s Odean Skeen won his heat, but was second overall in 10.82, ahead of KC’s Keneil Grant, 11.03.
Wolmer’s Boys’ Raheem Robinson and JC’s Tyler Mason won their heats in impressive style. Robinson was fastest overall in 10.91 seconds, with Mason, looking like a young Raymond Stewart, clocking 11.2 after winning by approximately 15 metres.
Kingston College’s (KC) Jovan Williams ran a blistering 47.76secs to win the Mens 400m Collegiate race and sent a strong warning to Lennox Williams of Manchester High.
Rohan Walker of Jamaica College (JC) won the Class 2 400m in an impressive 48.82 seconds, ahead of Shacquille McKay of Wolmer’s, 51.14. Walker’s time was faster than Class I winner Oshane Thomass 48.98.
Vere Technical’s Sherika Jackson continued her good form capturing the Girls Class 1 400m in 53.34 seconds. Her teammate Yanique McNeil won the Class 2 in 54.87.
KC showed their strength in the 800 metres, winning two events. Sanjay Powell won the Class 1 in a decent 1:55.50, ahead of Wolmer’s Rayon Black, 1:57.85, with KC’s Alex Saunders, who won his heat but finished third overall, in 1:54.94.
KC’s Chad Miller won the Class 2 800m in 1:59.80, ahead of Alex Brown of Wolmer’s with 2:00.00, and his teammate Miguel Morrison, 2:01.80.
KC’s Fabian McCauseland won the Boys 400m hurdles Under-20 in 53.73 seconds, ahead of Javarb Gallimore, 56.73.
Shavon Barnes of Racers Track Club won the Men’s equivalent in 51.58, just ahead of teammate Bryan Steel, 51.77.
Ristanana Tracey of Racers won the Women’s 400m hurdles Open in 57.40, while Sashel Brown of Convent of Mercy Alpha won the Girls 400m in 1:00.90.
In the field events, Calabar’s Travis Smikle threw 61.17m to win the Men’s discus Clubs Open, ahead of Shane Dodd of GC Foster, 55.64, and UTech’s O’Dayne, 52.35m.
Smikle’s teammate Fredick Dacres won the high school Open discus with 56.80m, well ahead of Emmanuel Ongja of Munro, 50.50.
Ongja celebrated his Jamaican citizenship by winning the Boys shot put with 19.25m and turned the tables on Dacres, who finished second with 18.00. Shaquelle Lewis of JC was third with 16.91 and Chadrick DaCosta of KC fourth in 16.43.
Calabar showed their strength in the throws by finishing first and second in the Boys’ Under-18 shot put, courtesy of Stephan McDonald and Shamar Kitson with 14.94 and 14.89m. JC’s Alexander Parkinson was third with 14.43.
Olivia James won the Women’s javelin Open with a throw of 49.61, well ahead of Denise Ross, 34.39.
Jermaine Jackson of MVP won the Clubs long jump with a leap of 7.44, ahead of GC Foster’s Orneldo Thomas, 7.18.
Meanwhile, a host of Olympians and administrators were honoured at the event.
Cynthia Thompson, Vilma Charlton, Grace Jackson, Cathy Rattray-Samuels, Bertland Cameron, Juliet Cuthbert and Brigitte Foster-Hylton were on hand to collect their Footprint trophies.
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