Codrington shatters javelin record on day 3

58th Annual National Schools Cycling, Swimming, Track and Field Championships

A young woman hailing from South Georgetown, District 13, on Tuesday evening re-wrote the Nationals track and field history books as she dismantled the standing javelin throw record by some 10 metres.

The record smasher, Prudence Codrington (centre) is flanked by second- and third-place finishers Denita Marks and Miriam Primo

Prudence Codrington, 18, was extremely humble as she approached the firing line, putting much effort into her throws. The first attempt went soaring to some 35.38 metres, the exact throw that would win her the gold medal. However, even if her first throw had missed the mark, her second and third attempts flew to 31.62m and 27.63m, either one would have landed her the first position and broke the record which was set last year.
The previous synthetic record was set by Kimbily Hilliman of North Georgetown with a throw of 25.81m at last year’s National championships. It is important to note that Codrington also holds the javelin Under-18 record, which was set to 27.00m last year at Leonora.

A District 10 long jumper makes a great leap

The silver medal in the javelin event was copped by Denita Marks with a throw of 18.99m. Miriam Primo’s best attempt of 18.33m landed her in third.
Aside from Codrington’s brilliance, it was a packed day of track and field at the Leonora Synthetic Track as many of the athletes sought to secure their spot in the finals of their respective events. The 400m races in all student age groups (U-8, U-10, U-12, U-14, U-18 and U-20) were run off and saw keen competition, setting the stage for the finals later this week. The teachers also had their time to shine on the track with a similar line of events.
The Boys Under-12 1200m, Girls U-12 1000m, Boys U-10 1000m and Girls U-10 800m were some of the final events that were run off during the third day’s activities.
John Harry of South Georgetown won the Boys U-12 1200m race with a time of 4.07s. It was just a glance before Walson Peters (District 1) came trotting in for second with 4.11s. Gary Paulin (District 9) made up the top three with 4.15s. Over in the U-12 girls 1000m, Tiana Springer of East Georgetown was the leading lady with a time of 3.31s whilst Hannah Joseph (District 10) was just split seconds behind in a photo finish of 3.31.34s. Akela Hall (District 3) was third with 3.42s.
The Boys U-10 1000m saw Joshaun Marshall of Corentyne winning the race in 3.32s, whilst Tyrese Langhone (District 10) and Raphael Archer (District 12) finished second and third with respective times of 3.34.26s and 3.34.65s. The Girls U-10 800m was won by Akeela Dover of East Coast Demerara as she sprinted across the finish line at 2.59s. Safina Roberts (District 14) was trailing by just two seconds (3.01s) for her second-place finish. Akeela Pratt (District 5) completed the podium one second later on 3.02s.
The action at the Leonora track and field facility will continue today with the highly-anticipated 100m heats and finals for all age groups.