Saturday (June 8) marked the culmination of the JTA/Sagicor National Athletics Championships which ended in heightened excitement at the National Stadium, as St. Thomas defeated defending champions St. Elizabeth to claim the title.

St. Thomas ended the meet with 261 points, 23 points ahead of St. Elizabeth who finished second with 238 points. In third place was St. Andrew with 230 points and rounding out the top five was St. Catherine in fourth with 126.5 points and Portland with 177.5 points.

Andrew Anderson, head coach and parish coordinator for St. Thomas, attributed their triumph to unity among team members and perseverance. 

“We achieved this by working together as a team. I have a wonderful coaching staff, many of whom have been with us since primary school. We previously won the Eastern Championship and placed second in the national championship. Despite facing numerous challenges and injuries, we persevered. The schools involved in the sports championship contributed significantly to our success. Even though we couldn’t always come together physically, our partnership allowed us to develop strong programmes and our partnership allowed us to develop strong programs and continue improving. From day one, our focus on teamwork has driven us toward this championship,” he explained.

Several exceptional performances 

The meet showcased several exceptional performances, which led to two champion girls and three champion boys, each scoring substantial points for their team. The standout girls were Tori-Ann Townsend and Danique Bernard both from St. Andrew.

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The top boys were Jaquan Smith from Kingston, Kahniel Walford from St. Thomas, along with Deandre Parker from St. Andrew.

Nicole Campbell Robinson, Sagicor Group vice president of communications, affirmed the company’s ongoing dedication to supporting the championship declaring, “we are proud of the Sagicor Foundation’s long-standing partnership with this event”.

“As we often say, it all starts here. The next generation of athletes has delivered two days of incredible track and field performances, and we anticipate that many of them will excel on the international stage in the future,” added Campbell Robinson. 

In the eagerly awaited sprint relay finals, Manchester excelled, winning both the boys’ under-11 and under-13 categories. St. Andrew triumphed in the boys’ sprint medley open, while St. Catherine secured victory in the finals of the girls’ event.