Despite being disqualified after winning the 4x400m relay this afternoon (May 14), Jamaica College (JC) dethroned Kingston College (KC) and claimed their first hold on the Mortimer Geddes Trophy in a decade as the curtains came down on the 2021 ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys’ and Girls’ Athletics Championships at the National Stadium in Kingston.

It is JC’s first hold on the trophy since 2011.

READ: Edwin Allen comes out on top in Girls’ Champs 2021

Following the disqualification, JC finished with 328.5 points to KC’s 313. Calabar High School were third with 241.5 points and St Elizabeth Technical fourth with 181 points. St Jago High with 129 points were fifth.

KC began the day with a seven-and-a-half-point lead over JC and extended that lead early but then JC responded with zest that saw them assume the lead shortly thereafter and held on for a comprehensive victory.

KC began the day well when Jordan Taylor and Shavaughn Brown finished 1-3 in the Class 3 Boys 400m. Taylor clocked 50.17s for the victory while Brown ran a smart 50.94 for third. They sandwiched Maggotty High’s Zachary Wallace, who ran 50.33 for second place.

The 2019 champions also had a 1-2 finish in the Class 2 high jump when Aaron McKenzie cleared 2.01m to win gold and Aaron Thomas cleared 1.98m for the silver medal. However, JC’s Chavez Penn took a bite out of KC’s advantage when he finished third with a clearance of 1.95m.

What was key was that, as soon as KC made a move, JC roared right back.

Mark Anthony Miller won the Class 2 Boys 400m in a personal best 47.35 and Calabar’s Mark Manley finished second in 48.11. Derrick Grant of Ferncourt ensured that KC was shut out of the medals claiming the bronze medal in 48.15.

The Class 1 final went to the impressive Javier Brown, who followed up his record breaking run in the 400m hurdles final on Friday, producing a personal best 45.75 to win over Calabar’s Jeremy Bembridge, who also broke 46 seconds when he finished second in 45.94.

Tahj Hamm of Holmwood Technical ran 46.22 for the bronze medal.

It was after this race that JC took the lead and gave the first signs that this was going to be their year.

They extended a slim lead when Tyrone Lawson and Rasheed Price were third and fourth, respectively in the Class 3 800m won by Rashid Green of St Elizabeth Technical in 1:59.24. Rhsaune Johnson of Calabar ran 2:00.56 for second place. Lawson clocked 2:00.58 for third in a keen battle for the minor placings.

JC went even further ahead when Kimarrio Bygrave won the Class 2 800m in 1:52.00 ahead of teammate Khandale Frue, who ran 1:53.46 for the silver medal, and gave their school 16 points. St Elizabeth Technical’s Barrain Smith was third in 1:53.77.

Chevonne Hall of Edwin Allen set a new record in the Class I 800m when he clocked 1:48.58 for the gold medal coming from behind to defeat Rivaldo Marshall of Calabar, who ran an impressive 1:48.86 for the silver medal, the same time as JC’s Jvoughnn Blake, who was third.

The newly crowned champions also did well in the field events as Zachary Campbell threw 52.50m in the Class 2 discus won by Shaiquan Dunn of St Jago, who threw 52.77m. Calabar’s Delano Lawrence threw 46.96m for third.

Meanwhile, Ricardo Dunn of Kingston College won the Class 3 200m in 22.91. He defeated Malik Carridice of Vere Technical, who ran 23.21 for second place and Omari Robinson of Jamaica College who clocked 23.23 for third. The times were impressive considering they were run into a stiff headwind of -4.5m/s.

Calabar High’s Mark Manley, running into a headwind of -2.3m/s, clocked a creditable 21.46 to win the Class 2 event ahead of Jamaica College’s Jaiden Reid (21.79) and KC’s Amontae Wray (21.84).

Petersfield’s standout sprinter showed his class once again winning the Class I race in 20.74. He beat Edwin Allen’s Bryan Levell who clocked 20.84 and Adrian Kerr of KC, who ran 21.31 for third. The wind was -1.7m/s.

As the events were unfolding on the track, JC continued to add points from the field as Nishorn Pierre won the Class I high jump having soared the bar set at 2.08m. Dejone Raymond of STETHS took the silver having cleared 2.00m while Waukeem Walters of Wolmer’s cleared the same height for third.

STETHS won the sprint medley in 3:26.19 over KC, who clocked 3:28.90.  JC was third in 3:31.77.

By the time the relays were on track, KC had it all to do as the window of opportunity to catch and then pass JC continued to shrink.

St Jago won the Class I 4×100 in 39.75 in a battle down the stretch with STETHS who got caught late and finished second in 39.82. JC finished strong to edge KC, clocking 40.21 to KC’s 40.26.

JC then rubbed salt into KC’s already gaping wound when they won the Class 2 sprint relay in 40.97. Calabar was second in 41.31 with KC third in 41.78.

STETHS won the Class 3 final in 43.01 with Calabar and JC finishing second and third in 44.31 and 44.84, respectively.

KC’s Aron Tanui won the 5000m in 15:43.41 over Bellefield High School’s 15:45.41 and Campion College’s Noel Ellis who was third in 16:13.96.

By then, JC’s lead was insurmountable as even after JC’s disqualification in the 4x400m relay that eventually went to Excelsior High in 3:07.85, JC’s lead was 15.5 points. Calabar was second in 3:08.90 and Edwin Allen came in third in 3:11.77.

KC finished fifth, out of the medals and out of time.