St Catherine won the JTA/Sagicor National Athletics Championship by the narrowest of margins by 1.83 points ahead of St Andrew, with St Elizabeth finishing third inside the National Stadium last Saturday (June 21).

In a ding-dong battle, St Catherine amassed 270.83 points with St Andrew in second spot with 269, as St Elizabeth finished third with 222.83 points. The top five is completed by Portland in fourth with 158.5 and Westmoreland in fifth with 125.5.

Manchester just missed a top-five position, ending sixth with 124.33 while St Ann finished in seventh spot on 114, just ahead of Trelawny in eighth with 98 points. St Mary on 93 were ninth, while dethroned champion St Thomas could only finish in 10th spot with 88 points.

St James (86), Clarendon (52), Kingston (29) and Hanover (13) were the other parishes in the competition.

St Catherine’s Kellan Harris continued his good season, winning the Boys’ Under-15 100m in a personal best of 12.33 seconds just ahead of Malique Mason of Manchester in 12.34s. He returned and won the 200m in 25.16s again, with Mason second in 25.40s.

Anmaria Walker of St Andrew took the girls’ Under-15 100m in 13.42s with St Ann’s Marvena Francis second in 13.66s.

Jaden Bailey of St Catherine sped to 58.36s to capture the Boys’ Under-15 400m while Atalia Hussaney of St Catherine won the girls Under-15 400m in 1:04.17.

St Elizabeth started the final day in front but they were quickly swamped by St Catherine and St Andrew as it became a two-horse race.

With six finals remaining St Andrew hit the front for the first time on 232 points to St Catherine’s 223.83. With St Catherine absent from the boys’ under-11 4×100 relay, St Andrew won and established a nine-point lead.

That lead was increased to 21 after St Andrew’s girls won the under-13 4×100, but St Catherine responded well with victory in the boys’ under-13 relay, reducing the lead to four points.

The champions then regained the lead after winning the girls’ under-15 real,y leading 248.83 to 245 for St Andrew with three finals left.

St Catherine, with the outstanding Harris, captured the boys’ under-15 4×100 relay and opened up an 11-point lead at 260 to 249.

St Andrew won the girls’ medley, and it was down to five points. In the final event, St Andrew finished third and St Catherine sixth and won by little over one point at 270.83 to 269 points.

It was a dramatic and exciting climax to the 40^th staging of the JTA/Sagicor Athletics Championship, filled with some outstanding performances by the future stars of Jamaica.