58th Annual Nationals Schools Cycling, Swimming, Track and Field Championships
Records continued to be re-written on the fourth day of action as the nation’s youth athletes gathered at the Leonora Track and Field Facility at the 58th Annual Nationals Schools Cycling, Swimming, Track and Field Championships.
Okemi Porter finishes in second place, to complete a great day’s work
Day Four had a long list of events, ranging from field events such as discus, javelin, shot-put, long jump and high jump to track events, including the marquee 100 metres event.
One of the shining stars of the day was Okemi Porter of West Coast Berbice (District 5). Standing at 6 feet 5 inches, the Under-20 athlete was listed in the high jump event for the first time in his life just because he is ‘tall’.
Porter, however, did not allow his inexperience to deter him as he watched YouTube videos in order to grasp the basics of the discipline. With what knowledge he had, Porter became the strongest contender in the Under-20 male high jump, winning the gold and smashing the record. Porter’s jump reached 1.79 meters, a clear improvement on the 2017 record set by Yannick Walcott of West Demerara at 1.74m. The high jump was not the end of Porter’s good fortune as he then went on to cop silver in the U-20 800m race.
A glimpse of the U-16 Girls 800m race
Another record-breaking performance of the day came from Melon Lowenfield who leaped to 6.47m, an improvement over last year’s record, which was set at 6.14m by Troni Semple of East Coast Demerara.
As the evening wound down, the track was cleared to facilitate the running of the 800m races. The Under-20 male gold was taken by District 10’s Ronell Newton, while Porter finished second. On the female side, Serena Williams took gold and was followed by Leyanna Charles and Donelle Mathieson.
Tonya Rawlins (District 3) finishes the U-20 100m race comfortably
The Under-20 100m races saw a more electric response form the boisterous crowd at Leonora as they eagerly awaited the event. The highly-coveted gold in the Under-20 male event was copped by District 10’s Shane Haynes whilst Alwyn Prince settled for silver. The girls were led by Tonya Rawlins and seconds later Teia Lowe and Aaliyah Reid completed the podium.
The action will continue at the Leonora Synthetic Track today as officials prepare to run off the 200m, 1500m and Medley relay races, alongside the many field events still to be completed.
Day Four had a long list of events, ranging from field events such as discus, javelin, shot-put, long jump and high jump to track events, including the marquee 100 metres event.
