Mitchell, Smartt, Rogers smash 100m records

Nov 22, 2012 Sports

– Straker cracks 31-year-old 800m mark

By Edison Jefford
The new kids on the block in local sprinting emphatically announced their presence yesterday at the National Stadium with South Georgetown’s, Torana Mitchell staving off the Jevina Sampson challenge and Ebony Nelson carving out the biggest win of her career.
Mitchell ran a sublime 100m in the Girls’ U-16 race that North Georgetown’s Sampson was the favourite to win. Mitchell won in 12.3 seconds, smashing Rhondell Alleyne’s 12.5 seconds 2005 Albion record in the process. Sampson clocked a below part 12.8 seconds with West Demerara’s Kenesha Gilkes (13.3) third.
Mitchell was not the only Running Braves Athletics Club athlete that celebrated big yesterday in the marquee sprint. East Georgetown’s Ebony Nelson upset junior national sprint queen, Tiffany Carto from South Georgetown and North Georgetown’s, Shomane Daniels.

Corentyne’s Arsenio Gray dives home in the U-16 Boys 800m ahead of the charging East Bank Demerara’s Kwesi Blair yesterday at the National Stadium.

Nelson ran 12.6 seconds to capture the 100m Girls U-20 race, forcing Carto (12.9), and Daniels (13.3), who are both more seasoned, unto the other podium spots. Nelson fired out her blocks as rocket and maintained excellent form under pressure to win the race.
Junior national sprinter, Stephon James ran 10.8 seconds for North Georgetown to win the U-20 Boys 100m ahead of West Berbice’s Rennick Bernette (11.1) and South Georgetown’s, Selwyn Fraser (11.2); James’ nemesis, Chavez Ageday ran the heat earlier in the day but was not among the starters for the final.
East Coast Demerara’s, Jason Yaw ran 11.1 seconds in the 100m Boys U-16 race that outdid the efforts of Corentyne’s Carlos Trinidad (11.4) and North West, Alister Bentick (11.5) respectively as new names on the local sprinting scene continued to pop up.
In the 100m Boys U-18 race North Georgetown’s Kevin Abbensetts ran 10.9 seconds for the win ahead of East Coast’s Samuel Doris (11.0) and South Georgetown’s Danta Thom. The U-18 title for the Girls went to East Coast’s Deja Smart in 12.3 seconds, who smashed Upper Demerara’s Shannon Griffith 12.6 record set last year at the same venue. Griffith was second with 12.6 while North Georgetown’s Shoquane Daniels clocked 12.9 seconds for third.
North Georgetown’s Kadeem Blackman won the 100m Boys U-14 race in 12.2 seconds with the East Coast’s, Daquan Liverpool (12.3) and New Amsterdam’s Tyrell Peters (12.4) third. Upper Demerara’s Onasha Rogers thrashed Sampson’s 12.6 seconds U-14 record when she ran a better 12.4 seconds to win the female U-14 race. North Georgetown’s Avon Samuels was second with her time of 13.2 seconds while Keona George (13.4) was third.
Meanwhile, North Georgetown’s national distance running star, Jevina Straker (2:19.2) led the way in the Girls’ 800m race from the beginning, clearly with the Lorrie Ann Adams 31-year-old record in her mind. Straker achieved her goal just split seconds under Adams, who had set 2:19.7 in 1981 in Linden.

Class! South Georgetown’s Torana Mitchell shows her superiority in the U-16 Girls 100m ahead of junior sensation, North Georgetown’s Jevina Sampson (third, left) yesterday.

Rupununi’s Yvette Joseph (2:39.7) was second while North West Amanda James (2:46.9) was third. Straker will also compete in the 1500m and 3000m slated for today and has already won two events, including the 10km Road Race.
In the Boys 800m U-20 race, Devaun Barrington won in 2:01.1 after leading the entire race. New Amsterdam’s Eon Hinds (2:03.9) and Upper Demerara’s Nathaniel Giddings (2:07.5) were second and third respectively.
The 800m Boys U-18 race started with a blistering pace with West Coast Berbice’s Grivon Grant (2:01.6) leading into the final lap and East Coast’s Ornesto Thomas (2:01.9), who was later disqualified for running inside the track, trailing closely behind and Upper Demerara’s Shaquille Smartt (2:03.7) about 15m back. Corentyne’s Darren Dick (2:10.8) was third.
New Amsterdam’s Melissa Byass won the Girls U-18 race in 2:29.2 with East Georgetown’s Adama Roberts (2:39.5) second and North Georgetown’s Tamma Williams (2:40.6) third. Corentyne’s Arsenio Gray (2:10.1) won the 800m Boys U-16 race ahead of East Bank Demerara Kwesi Blair (2:10.4) and East Coast Demerara Rawle Success (2:11.2) in one of the best races of the day.
East Coast Demerara struck again when Andrea Foster won the 800m Girls U-16 event with the Corentyne’s Dennlie Gray (2:28.3) second and Upper Demerara’s Cassie Kirton (2:28.9) third. In the 800m Boys U-14 race, South Georgetown’s Terrence Alstrom won with 2:20.9 while the Rupununi’s Brandon Pugsley (2:21.3) was second and East Georgetown’s Samuel Lynch (2:25.1) third.
Upper Demerara’s prodigy, Cassie George (2:22.6) smashed Melissa Byass’ 2009 record for her second gold of the competition after winning the 1500m Tuesday night. West Coast Berbice’s Delicia Harper (2:27.2) was second and South Georgetown’s Claudrice McKoy (2:35.7) third. The National Schools Championships continues today at 9am.