Calabar High school’s dominance in the ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys and Girls’ Athletic Championships was given a big boost with the opening and dedication of the first all-weather synthetic track for a secondary institution in the Caribbean.At the ceremony held at the Red Hills Road-based school yesterday, Vincent Lawrence, chairman of the Complex Implementation team announced that a total of $55 million was spent to make the dream a reality.”We are gathered here today (yesterday) to mark this special event where Arthur Wint, Dennis Johnson, Herbert McKenley and others were nurtured (and this) is a dream come true,” Lawrence, who is also a Calabar old boy said.”The dream started in the 1990s and now it is a reality. In 2013 after talks, the old boys had the ground surveyed. The government through the Sports Development Foundation had granted $10 million for several schools towards a sports project,” he shared.”The minister of sports, Natalie Neita-Headley, indicated that the funding from the government would not be enough and the school through its old boys and management team came up with majority of the funds,” he also added.WILL DOMINATE CHAMPSThe project was done by BSW based in Germany with local firm Pavecon Limited as the contractor for the six-lane track.Former Prime Minister P.J. Patterson said that his alma mater will continue to dominate Champs with this historic track.”The track is very welcome and will push our boys more. I hope other schools will follow in order for Jamaica to benefit,” Patterson said.”When you have a facility like this it has to be maintained properly. We are good at building things and not at maintaining,” he added.Patterson also disclosed that GraceKennedy made a contribution of $5 million towards a spectator stand in memory of former athletic administrator Adrian Wallace.The complex will be named after outstanding Jamaican Olympians Herb McKenley and Arthur Wint, who both attended the institution.Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller offered her blessing in officially opening the complex.The inaugural McKenley/Wint track meet will get underway at the facility today, starting at 8:30 a.m.
WORLD Championships 200 metres silver medallist, Elaine Thompson, expressed delight with her final 20 metres after she sped to victory in her heat of the women’s Invitational 60 metres in 7.17 seconds at yesterday’s Queen’s-Grace Jackson meet at the National Stadium. “Today I just came out to execute as my coach instructed me to do. I was pleased with my final 20 metres. as I got out a bit slow. I am really happy to be competing before my fans again and I am looking forward to the remainder of the season,” the MVP Track Club athlete said after her first competitive run this season. Sprint Tech Track Club’s Gayon Evans was second in the heat. In the men’s event former national senior 100 metres champion, Oshane Bailey, who now competes for Sprint Tech won in a tight finish in 6.60 edging out MVP’s Ronald Levy (6.61) with another MVP athlete, Julian Forte, third in 6.63. Sharing the spotlight was national senior representative, Aneisha McLaughlin-Whilby who was making a return to the track after a one year absence. Competing for Sprint Tech McLaughlin-Whilby clocked 52.87 seconds to post the fastest time of the day in the women’s open 400 metres. G.C. Foster College’s Ronda Whyte was second overall in 53.07 with third going to Sprint Tech Verone Chambers, 53.28. McLaughlin-Whilby was also happy with her performance. “I was very anxious before the event but felt good after the race as I executed the way my coach wanted me to do and my body felt good,” she said. St Jago High’s Alesha Kelly was also in good form in the one lap event. Competing in Class One Kelly topped the field in 53.94 to finish ahead of Holmwood Technical’s Ashley Williams (54.96) and St Jago’s Shanice Reid, 55.16. Edino Steele, 46.39, was best among the males in the men’s 400m. Nasieve Powell of G.C. Foster College was second in 46.91 and Racers’ Zharnell Hughes, third in 47.12. Calabar dominated the sprint hurdles winning in all three classes. Shavon Carr won Class Three in 14.28 seconds, ahead of teammate Oratio Craig, 14.51. In Class Two Dejour Russell captured the 110m hurdles in 13.38 seconds, ahead of teammates Orlando Bennett, 4,28, and Michael Stevens, 14.38. Seanie Selvie took Class One in 14.40 from Jamaica College’s Odario Phillips (14,46).
Title-favourites Excelsior High are in command over many-time champions Eltham High heading into today’s second day of the three-day urban area ISSA-GraceKennedy Grace Shield cricket competition at Melbourne Oval.Winning the toss and electing to bat on a typically flat Melbourne wicket, the Kirkland Bailey-coached Excelsior first put up a competitive 228 in their first innings.This was on the back of 59 from Adrian Clarke, 32 from national U-17 batsman, Raewin Senior and 26 from national U-17 wicketkeeper, Shamarae Lindo.Bowling for Eltham High, another national Under-17 batsman, Ramone Francis, a part-time off-spinner, claimed five for 93 off 35 overs and Rahim Garnett took four for 72 off 31.2.Eltham, in their response, closed the day in a precarious 70 for five, 158 runs in arrears.QUICKFIRE25Eltham’s main batsman, Francis, made a quickfire 25 off 15 deliveries, inclusive of five fours.His dismissal, however, at 52, triggered somewhat of a mini-collapse.Senior, bowling left-arm spin, led the way with four for 13, with support coming from Kenneil Green, one for 20.”I am comfortable with the way we batted, but not entirely pleased,” said Bailey, coach of Excelsior.”Our senior batters showed a high level of irresponsibility and thus the first innings total was not what we wanted it to be.”However, we know we have the bowling capabilities to defend 228 and we are well on our way to doing so.”Eltham’s coach, Shawn Hedlam, who was a member of the victorious Eltham team in 2012, said his team may be down, but are surely not out of the game.”We are on the back-foot, but not out of it,” he said. “Come tomorrow (today) the aim is to apply ourselves and try to get the total and if not, as close to it as possible.”It’s a two innings match and if we miss out on first innings we will just have to go for an outright result.”
In-form Jamaican sprinter Asafa Powell won again on the circuit, adding to his 100 metres sub-10 seconds tally on the way to outclassing a decent field at the Gala Dei Castelli meet in Bellinzona, Switzerland yesterday.Powell sped out of the blocks along with notoriously quick starter, St Kitts and Nevis’ Kim Collins, before changing gears to leave the rest of the competitors for dead, stopping the clock in 9.87 in still wind.It was Powell’s 90th legal 100m time under 10 seconds and his seventh so far this season in 12 trips to the starting line.There was a lot of daylight between Powell and fellow Jamaican Nesta Carter, who finished strongly to take second place in 10.05 while Collins was comfortable in third place with a time of 10.13.switch allegianceTwo Jamaicans – Kemarley Brown and Andrew Fisher, who are in the process of switching their allegiance to the Kingdom of Bahrain, an archipelago located off the coast of Saudi Arabia, both clocked 10.21 to finish fourth and fifth, respectively.Jak Ali Harvey, formerly Jacques Harvey, who is another Jamaican to have switched allegiance in recent times and is now competing under the flag of Turkey, won the ‘B’ final in a time of 10.03, beating Jamaican Tyquendo Tracey, 10.23, and Kenji Fujimitsu of Japan, 10.24. Michael Frater was fifth in 10.26, with Winston Barnes finishing a place behind him in 10.41.Christania Williams, 11.21 was fourth in the women’s 100m behind winner Tiana Bartoletta, 11.07, Mujinga Kambundji, 11.17 and Jessica Young, 11.20.Meanwhile, 2011 world 100m champion Yohan Blake will compete in Dublin, Ireland on Friday inside the Morton Stadium. He will run in the 100m at the low-profile Morton Games, as he works himself back into shape with next year’s Olympic Games in sight.andre.lowe@gleanerjm.com
Flashback photo for B4
BRUSSELS, Belgium:Last year this time, Elaine Thompson was competing against college girls, with little expectation of the dizzying heights to come.It could, however, have all gone so wrong for the young University of Technology (UTech) student, whose talent may have been lost had it not been for a stern talk and an ultimatum of sorts, which turned ‘troublesome potential’ into World Championships silver-medal class.The year 2015 was a breakout for the 23-year-old hospitality and tourism major, but it would not have been the case if it wasn’t for a life-changing chat she had with her coach, Stephen Francis.Thompson, who told The Sunday Gleaner that she will go fully professional next season, while maintaining her studies at UTech, laughed when asked: “We heard you were a bit of a troublemaker?””It depends on what you call trouble,” she smiled.Running with the big girlsShe would not go into details about the conversation with Francis, but hinted that it came after a bit of mischief and less-than-ideal execution and application on her part, with a poor performance at a track meet, tipping coach Francis into his sermon, or warning – or whatever it was.”He (Francis) spoke to me and I took what he said in consideration. I knew he was saying the right things. I knew that I needed to listen,” said Thompson, who ran her last 200m of the season in Brussels on Friday, where she finished third in 22 behind World champion Dafne Schippers, 22.12, and Olympic champion Allyson Felix, 22.22.”I went to a track meet and didn’t do too well and he basically took me to the side and gave me a speech that really motivated me and changed my life,” Thompson shared. “I can’t say (exactly what he said), but he basically said that I was not in high school anymore and I needed to take things more seriously; that I needed to realise that I am running with the big girls now, so it pushed me to take it seriously.”That’s exactly what she has done.Thompson, hardly a blimp on the track and field radar in 2014, was flickering from her first few strides this season with her 11.10 run at the Intercollegiate Championships in March, raising a few eyebrows.By the time May had ended, she was blazing hot with three sub-11 seconds clockings in the 100 metres and a 22.32 200-metre time to her name. She duly capped her meteoric rise with a silver medal in Beijing in a time of 21.66, which makes her not only the second fastest Jamaican ever, but also the fifth fastest ever to run a 200m.Not to mention being the face of an islandwide campaign by one of the country’s premier financial institutions. Not bad for a girl from Banana Ground in Manchester, who went through Christiana and then Manchester High before enrolling at UTech with very little fanfare.”Honestly, I didn’t expect this at all. When I ran at the Intercollegiate meets and opened with 11.10 earlier this year, I said to coach that I think I ran too fast, but he told me that I still had a lot in store so I shouldn’t worry. I was nervous at first because I didn’t know what to expect after running so fast so early, but I continued to focus on working hard,” Thompson said.”I wasn’t known, but I kept working hard and focused on training and, I guess, now you can say that I am a superstar, and it’s really something to motivate others. For instance, persons who doubt themselves, it’s a motivation to them. People can look up to me as a person who moved up from being an unknown,” Thompson added.It’s only the beginning for Jamaica’s latest sprinting gem and as she gets accustomed to the rigours of top-level competition and the high expectations that follow, Thompson says she welcomes the thrill of her budding rivalry with Schippers, Felix and maybe even her own training partner and someone she holds in high regards, multiple World and Olympic champion, the reigning queen of sprinting, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce.”Next year, I expect great things as well. I have already experienced running with these ladies so I am more prepared. It will be a big year for me, and next year, it’s just about preparing for them again,” said Thompson. “Yes, I am looking forward to the rivalries. Now I am considered a top competitor and people are looking out for me at the meets, and that’s exciting.”To compete with these ladies certainly pushes and motivates me to work harder. It helps me to prepare and, as you know, next year will be the Olympics and, for me, it’s good to get a feel of this type of competition now, so I can be better next year,” she added.She will close out the year with a 100m in Rieti, Italy, before returning home to classes and a two-week break from training.”Yes, I only get two weeks rest and then I resume training, so there will be no vacation really,” Thompson half-smiled.
PERTH, Australia (CMC):West Indies limited overs opener Lendl Simmons scored a first ball ‘duck’ as his Brisbane Heat went down to Perth Scorchers by nine wickets in the Big Bash League on Boxing Day.In a low-scoring encounter at the West Australia Cricket Association ground, Heat could only muster 117 for seven off their 20 overs, with the 30-year-old right-handed Simmons dismissed off the second ball of the game.He was caught behind off left-arm seamer Jason Behrendorff with just two runs on the board.Captain Chris Lynn lifted the innings with an unbeaten 75 off 58 balls, with three fours and four sixes, and was just one of two players in double figures and the only one to pass ten.In reply, Scorchers raced to their target with nearly five overs to spare and captain Michael Klinger stoking an unbeaten 53 off 42 deliveries.He put on 46 for the first wicket with Marcus Harris (36) and a further 70 in an unbroken second-wicket partnership with Ashton Agar, who was unbeaten on 24 at the end.Simmons’ West Indies teammate and fellow Trinidadian, Samuel Badree, went wicket-less from four overs of leg-spin, which cost 26 runs.
BUZZ NIGHTMARE boasts superior speed and is almost sure to set off in front with a mere 50kg. However, he is yet to win beyond 1300 metres and the big question is whether he can poach a good enough lead entering the straight to beat the best horses in the country at 1400 metres. I think the 4-y-o son of Into Mischief-Queen of Battle has lots of class and will make a bold attempt However, SEEKING MY DREAM, who has won four of his five races this season, is proving to be an exceptional horse and with DaCosta proclaiming the 2015 Diamond Mile winner as “the best horse by far in the country”, is tipped to defy topweight of 57.0kg for the fourth consecutive time. SEEKING MY DREAM has worked well for this his first race and with the distance arguably his best, should prove too strong for BUZZ NIGHTMARE and the stretch running BRAWN, in deep stretch. Derrick Smith’s 4-y-o colt by Seeking the Glory out of the 2008 ‘Horse of the Year’, Alsafra, has the pace to race in touch and the turn of foot to seal the deal in deep stretch. Other firm fancies on the Alex’s Import-sponsored 11-race programme are ITALIANO in the third race, RUNAWAY GAL in the sixth, BALLON D’OR in the eighth and REGGAE GOLD in the second race for the Norman Manley Memorial Cup. BIG QUESTION A star-studded field of 10, headed by reigning ‘Horse of the Year’, SEEKING MY DREAM, will contest the 44th running of the Alex’s Import Gold Cup for top class horses over 1400 metres at Caymanas Park today. The field also includes the exciting sprint sensation, BUZZ NIGHTMARE, who seeks his fifth consecutive win; the consistent American filly, LONG RUNNING TRAIN, who has won two of her last three races; as well as two-time Superstakes winner, TYPEWRITER and the American 4-y-o gelding, BRAWN, who is coming off a recent fast-time win in the Saint Cecelia Cup over 1300 metres. The winner is almost sure to come from the abovementioned group, but the two standouts are SEEKING MY DREAM, to be ridden as usual by four-time champion jockey Omar Walker for 15-time champion trainer Wayne DaCosta and fleet-footed BUZZ NIGHTMARE, with Oneil Mullings riding for 14-time champion trainer Philip Feanny.
LONDON (AP):Demonstrating their efficient transformation under Antonio Conte, Chelsea’s players reeled off an 11th successive victory in a Premier League season for the first time yesterday.Diego Costa’s header secured a 1-0 win at struggling Crystal Palace, sending the leaders nine points clear of Liverpool and Arsenal.It came on the first anniversary of JosÈ Mourinho being fired, with the west London club a point above the relegation zone. Apparent harmony in the dressing room has replaced the “palpable discord” with the players which triggered Mourinho’s exit.Although the wins are racking up, Chelsea might soon pay for their inability to kill off games with the Palace success completing a hat-trick of 1-0 victories.The defence, though, is watertight under Conte, keeping nine clean sheets in the winning run that started after a 3-0 humbling at Arsenal and the switch to a three-man defence.”The manager must be a tailor and try and find the right fit for the team,” said Conte, the former Italy and Juventus coach. “For sure, for me, it wasn’t easy to arrive and understand very quickly the characteristics of my players. I needed a bit of time.”I tried a different solution before changing the formation, but I think the most important thing is the mentality, our strong mentality. Also hard work during the week tactical work, physical work, analysis.”With mist descending on the Selhurst Park field, the only goal in the lunch-time kick-off came from Chelsea’s first attempt on target in the 43rd minute.Costa rose above Scott Dann to meet CÈsar Azpilicueta’s cross and net his 13th goal of the season. The Spain forward has eclipsed last season’s haul for Chelsea before the halfway point has been reached.”If we’d arrived here today without the right concentration and focus, the will to fight and go into battle with your opponents, we’d have lost this game for sure,” Conte said. “Instead, we have great quality, but the players are putting that quality into the team.”COSTA OUTChelsea, though, will have to cope without Costa at home to Bournemouth on December 26. Chelsea’s top scorer picked up a fifth booking of the season for a tackle on Joe Ledley before scoring.Midfielder N’Golo KantÈ, who also accumulated five yellow cards with his second-half caution, also has two weeks off before the New Year’s Eve game against Stoke.Palace manager Alan Pardew might also have an enforced break unless results improve. Chelsea condemned Palace to an eighth loss in 10 games to leave the south London club three points above the relegation zone.”Chelsea are very sound defensively and didn’t really give us any chance to get at them as much as we’d have liked,” Pardew said. “They were confident in their defending, (with) good shape and discipline to their actions, and did enough offensively to edge it.”Chelsea equalled the 2009 team’s 11-match winning run set across two seasons in 2009.Arsenal’s 14-match winning run in 2002 remains a Premier League record – for now.
Simoes said that he is impressed with what he sees as the improvement of Jamaicans’ standard of living, since his last stint living in Jamaica in 2008. He said that this tells him that the economy is growing. “I saw all the cars. I’m impressed about the new kinds of cars you have here – Mercedes Benz, Audis, I saw Porsches and these kinds of cars we didn’t see before and the quantity I’m seeing now. I talked to Michael DaCosta, one of the best friends I have here in Jamaica, and he said economically, a structure is being put in place for the country’s growth and he’s quite satisfied by the situation.” Simoes had been in charge of the national programmes between 1994 and 2000 and again in 2008. He met with employees at the Jamaica Football Federation headquarters but told The Gleaner that it was not about a possible role with the body, as he was just there to meet old friends. Former national tech-nical director Rene Simoes has backed current Jamaica head coach Theodore Whitmore. Simoes, who is in the island with his wife celebrating his 41st wedding anniversary, said that he has a lot of advice to give to Whitmore to guide him as a coach, and to get the most out of himself in the role. “I have a lot of advice for him to make him a better person and a better coach – a better everything,” he said. He adds that Whitmore has qualities that make him a good coach, but he has to figure out which are the ones that set him apart from his rivals. “All of us have 24 strengths. You have to adjust the strengths that are your signature. What are these five or six strengths you have? Maybe your leadership, your love for learning, your humour or your courage. That qualifies you.” Simoes, who now works with the Brazilian Coaches Society, is also a life coach, and said that he would not consider returning to Jamaica to work in any coaching role as those days are behind him. However, he said that there are things that could be done differently in Jamaica to grow the nation’s sports. “You have to build a programme very, very strong, but sometimes it is not very very easy to do that,” he said. “You need money and you need a leadership but the companies have to remember that it is not an expense but an investment in your country.” IMPRESSED