The drama at the ISSA GraceKennedy Boys’ and Girls’ Championships continued as Kingston College successfully repelled a challenge to have their decathlon champion Jurel Clement disqualified in that they exceeded their quota allowance.

The strong letter by King’s Counsel (KC) Ian Wilkinson squashed that issue, clearly showing that the athlete was indeed cleared by the governing body ISSA.

Wilkinson showed that the Grenadian was at KC from 2023, whilst the ISSA quota rule of two transferred athletes per class, came into effect in September 2024 and that there was no breach.

Clement had won the gruelling 10-event decathlon amassing an impressive 6,526 points and pocketed 12 big points for KC.

He was 382 ahead of second-placed Jaquan Souden of Happy Grove High with 6,144. Khaief Morris of Jamaica College was third with 6,114 points and Osmond Holt of Muschett High was fourth with 5,654. Calabar High’s Shevaughn Pryce finished fifth with 5,457 points.

But the drama did not finish there as Dylon Logan, another Grenadian at KC, was said to be the athlete who surpassed the quota amount and was withdrawn while competing in the shot put.

But if KC proved that Clement is not a quota athlete, then Logan should have kept his place on the team.

Then on Wednesday, Calabar’s Jamal Stephenson finished second in the Class One 100m semis in 10.38 but was later disqualified for false starting.

Calabar won the appeal but by them the final had run and medals and points distributed.

World governing body, World Athletics was asked for advice and they recommended that Stephenson be reinstated but there wouldn’t be a rerun, hence he must be given one point like the eight-placed finisher.

More drama unfolded on Friday as heavy favourite Sabina Dockery of Lacovia High was deemed to have false-started and disqualified from running in the 200m. And yes, she was later reinstated and ran alongside Shev-Anne Shim of Immaculate who was disqualified alongside her earlier.

Shim clocked 24.61 and failed to get into the final but Dockery, as expected, stopped the clock at 23.88 and advanced to the final.

Then a few minutes later, another post-race disqualification. KC’s Daniel Clarke—the heavy favourite to win the Class One 110 hurdles—flashed to 13.08 in his heat, just outside the record of 13.06 held by Wayne Pinnock since 2019. But Clarke later learnt he wasn’t in the final based on his reaction time of 0.093, which is below the required time of 0.100.

But further scrutiny of the other semis showed that the winner Shaquane Gordon of Calabar who won in 13.11, had a reaction time of 0.097 and second-placed Rayvon Walkin of KC also had a reaction time below the required time with 0.095 but they remained in the final.

Then approximately two hours later, both Gordon and Walkin were disqualified.

Calabar which won their 4×400 relay heat was also disqualified hours after.

There has been a slew of disqualifications throughout the championship, too much for anyone’s comfort and Champs have been destroyed. The fun has gone.