Shawn King of Oberlin races to victory in the boys' Class One 200m in a record 22.18 on yesterday's final day of the JN/JPS/Juciful Eastern Champs at the National Stadium. - Ricardo Makyn/Staff Photographer.

Anthony Foster, Freelance Reporter

IN THE closest championships in recent years, Oberlin regained their title but Seaforth's Javere Bell was the star of the two-day Eastern Secondary Schools Sports Association (ESSSA) JN/JPS/Juciful Athletics Championships which ended at the National Stadium yesterday.

Oberlin topped the overall standings with 574 points.

Morant Bay, who finished second with 522 points, may only have themselves to blame as they did not take part in the cross country and turned up late for 4x400m marshalling, which proved costly.

Glengoffe (415.5), St. Thomas Technical (343) and Buff Bay (251.5) completed the top five. Oberlin also won the female section with 277.5 ahead of Morant Bay (232.5) and St. Thomas (214) while Morant Bay took the boys' section with 289.5 ahead of Oberlin (260.5) and Glengoffe (170.5)

Coach Everton Leslie said determination was what carried Oberlin to victory.

"We knew it was going to be a stiff competition but the athletes did it and I am proud of them," Leslie said.

"I promised (the principal) last September that I have a gift for her and this is the gift," he said.

Leslie said he was not worried when things were heading down to the wire.

"Championshipscome with observation and calculation. What I did was observe and did my homework and, as I said before, Morant Bay dominated the hurdles and field events.

"We knew that the last part of the Championships was to come and Oberlin would be tremendous in that aspect of it," he said.

Going into the relays, Oberlin (404.5 points) were only 1.5 points ahead of Morant Bay (403) and, by the end of the sprints relays, Morant Bay had taken over with 501 points to Oberlin's 478.

Dominated final events

At that stage, and with six events to go, it was still anyone's race. However, Oberlin were well represented and dominated the final events.

Bell, 14, with three records, was voted overall champion boy with 27 points. He broke the boys' Class Three 400m record with his 51.65 seconds clocking, which beat Akino Ming's previous best of 52.99 and ran 23.47 to beat Tesmond Mcken's seven-year mark of 23.90 in the 200m.

In the 800m, he crossed in 2:04.74 to beat Port Antonio's Ainsley Henry's two-year-old record of 2:12.30.

While Natasha Morrison of Glengoffe was busy erasing St. Thomas Technical's Carrie Russell's Class Three records in the sprints, Russell, the World Junior bronze medallist, was establishing new records of her own in the Class Two sprints.

Morrison ran 12.20 and 24.81 to beat Russell's previous marks of 12.24 and 24.91 while Russell's times of 11.88 and 24.86 bettered Kacey-Ann Robinson's seven-year old marks of 12.00 and 24.91.

Russell, who was voted overall champion girl (27 points), won a third event - the girls' Class Two 400m in 57.64.

Russell and Morrison were also impressive in the relays with their teams, St. Thomas Technical and Glengoffe. St. Thomas won the Class Two sprint event in 49.54 (record) while Glengoffe took the Class Three event in 49.79 (record).

Russell ran a fifth event, the girls' mile relay open, but her team St. Thomas, which had crossed the line in a record time, was disqualified as she had already taken part in four events.

Also among the 20 record breakers was national representative Akino Ming, who ran 22.72 to break the 22.80 mark held by Rohan Russell. Ming had earlier won the 400m in 49.27.

Other record breakers on yesterday's final day were Nashee Campbell of Glengoffe (56.2) in the girls' 400m Class Three, Tonique Sobah of Morant Bay (12.48) in the girls' Class Three 80m hurdles, Kadian Sutherland (33.26m) in the girls' javelin open, Morant Bay's Juwayne Moore (11.69) in the Class Three boys' 100m, Jodian Waldron (2: 23.48) the girls' Class Two 800m, Crystal Palmer of Glengoffe (2:21.49) in the Class Three 800m and Shawn King of Oberlin (22.18) in the Class One boys' 200m.

Shavar Williams (21 points) was the Class One champion while Shane Beckford (25) and Bell (27) took Classes Two and Three respectively.

Sherikay Campbell (25 points), Russell, Crystal Palmer (25) and Jeaneane Jones (27) were the Classes One, Two, Three and Four girls' champions.