Newton, Smith, Harvey among stars at National Juniors

Keliza Smith, Attoya Harvey, and Ezekiel Newton were some of the names that stood out over the weekend as the Athletics Association of Guyana (AAG) hosted its National Junior Championships, from Friday through Sunday last.
The Leonora Track and Field Facility, West Coast Demerara (WCD), was set alight over the three-day event, which resulted in the Running Brave Athletics Club (RBAC) cementing their place as the best club, at least for another year.
Running Brave’s Smith sprinted away with gold medals in all the female 18-19 events, in the absence of any real challenge.

Smith clocked 11.66s, 24.67s, and 55.53s in the 100m, 200m, and 400m events for gold. In all three races, she was trailed by fellow Running Brave athlete Karese Lloyd, who clocked 11.95s, 25.97s, and 1:00.93 for her silver medal performances.
In the younger category, Quanna Taylor of Titans Track Club took gold in the 100m with a time of 12.05s, but had to settle for second in the 200m, clocking 25.62s. She was pipped on the line by Tiana Springer, who crossed the line in 25.59s for first place. Springer placed second in the 100m with a time of 12.41s, while third place was occupied by Nalicia Glen (Bladen Hall) in 12.74s.
In the male sprints, Bladen Hall’s Ezekiel Newton raced to a 10.55s victory in the 14-17 division, returning a better first-place performance than even the 18-19 sprinters. The next best finishers in that race were Running Brave’s Shaquan Nelson in 11.10s and Melech Baryon in 11.23s.
Newton extended his heroics to the 200m event, going sub 22 in 21.75s for first place. Omar James and Jaheel Cornette were second and third with 22.07s and 22.64s.

Osa Blair (Police) won the 18-19 100m race in 10.67s, followed by his clubmate Shamar Horatio in 10.74s and Osrick Pellew (Ruralites) in 10.91s. Horatio moved up to first place in the 200m, clocking 21.66s, while Blair clocked 21.76s for second. Simeon Adams of RBAC was third in 22.14s.
Attoya Harvey was the star of the middle and distance show, grabbing gold in the 800m, 1500m and 3000m races. She recorded 2:28.79, 5:17.51 and 12:04 for her string of first places.
In the 800m, fellow RBAC athlete Narisa McPherson finished second in 2:30.36, while De Challengers’ Marissa Thomas was third in 2:32.37.
Thomas pulled off a second-place performance in the 1500m, stopping the clock at 5:23.72. McPherson completed the podium with a time of 5:32.72.
Christianburg Wismar’s Shaqua Tyrell showed her dominance in similar events, crossing the line first in the 800m and 1500m of the older category. Tyrell stopped the clock at 2:23.68 and 5:04.00 respectively, for gold.
Javon Roberts also had a great outing over the weekend, picking up double gold, in the 800m and 1500m events. The Running Brave athlete stopped the clock at 2:05.66 and 4:40.47, respectively. In the 800m, Ruralites’ Timothy France and RBAC’s Samuel Booker were second and third with times of 2:05.75 and 2:06.49. Meanwhile, Booker took second n the 1500m with 4:40.85 and Hopetown Flames’ David Bovell was third in 4:43.88.
In other events, Stafon Roach was unbeatable in the sand pit, clinching gold in the Long and Triple Jumps. In the former event, Roach of Mercury Fast Laners leaped 7.08m for the win, while Melon Lowenfield (GDF) and Wesley Tyndall (RBAC) completed the podium with 6.91m and 6.68m jumps.
In the triple, a 15.39m leap earned Roach the gold, while his clubmate, Trevon Hamer was second with 14.05m.
The Police Progressive Youth Club (PPYC) swept the boys’ 14-17 shotput and discus throws. On both occasions, Brandon Fraser was at the top of the podium, following 8.96m and 22.34m throws in shotput and discus respectively. Donte Garraway’s 7.81m and 17.73m throws earned him second place in both events.
In the discus, Isaac Powley was third with a 15.23m throw, while Assani McPhoy placed similarly in the shotput, throwing 7.76m.
At the end of the weekend’s action, the Running Brave Club emerged on top with a 32-medal count. Police Progressive Youth Club were second with 22 and Hopetown Flames third with 7 medals.