Ian Allen/Staff Photographer
St Jago's Yohan Blake (centre) gets ahead of Calabar's Oshane Bailey (right) in an exciting end to the boys' Class One 4x100m at yesterday's Gibson Relays at the National Stadium. St Jago won in 40.29 seconds with Calabar second in 40.34.

Elton Tucker, Assistant Sport Editor

DEFENDING INTER-SECONDARY boys champions Calabar High gave St Jago High's crack sprint quartet a huge scare before losing in the final strides in an exciting end to the Gibson Relays Class One 4x100 metres relay at the National Stadium yesterday.

Led by the outstanding World Youth Championships 200 metres gold medallist Ramone McKenzie on the second leg, Calabar dominated for the first 300m and it took a devastating run from national junior 100m record holder Yohan Blake on the final leg to earn victory for St Jago ahead of Calabar's anchorman Oshane Bailey.

St Jago crossed the line in 40.29 with Calabar second in 40.81 and Jamaica College third in 40.81.

Calabar had much to cheer about in the very next relay as their Class Two quartet romped home in 42.27, beating Wolmer's, 42.74, and Jamaica College, 43.63.

St Jago resumed their winning ways in Class Three, turning back the challenge of Kingston College (44.23) to capture the sprint relay in 43.98. Calabar were third in 44.90.

KC won in Class Four (46.55) ahead of St George's College (47.29) and Wolmer's, 48.24.

Bolt impressive

Just as he did last year, national 200m champion Usain Bolt powered the High Performance Centre to an impressive 39.41 victory in the 4x100m for men's clubs and institutions. MVP were second in 39.84 and Akan Track Club third in 40.39.

The women's sprint relay for women's clubs and institutions was won by G.C. Foster in 44.03, beating University of Technology, 44.33.

As expected, Edwin Allen High ran away with the Class One girls 4x100m They crossed the line in 45.54, over a second ahead of Holmwood Technical (46.83) and Vere Technical 46.87.

Vere Technical, the former queens of high school track and field, surprised Holmwood and Manchester High to score an impressive victory in the Class Two 4x100m. The Clarendon-based school won in 45.90, Holmwood were second in 46.42 and Manchester High third in 46.54. The Class Three and Four sprint relays went to Holmwood. They captured the Class Three gold in 46.61, beating Wolmer's (47.13) and Manchester (47.44) into the minor placings. The Class Four quartet won by a wide margin in 48.34 with Alpha second in 49.35 and Vere (49.53).

Strong wind

A very strong following wind, well over the legal limit of 2.0 metres per second, denied Herbert McGregor a record in the men's long jump Open. McGregor leapt 8.12m, well above the 7.70m mark he set last year but he was helped by a 6.0 m.p.s. wind. Second in the event was Tarek Batchelor of Kingston College (7.38m) and third was Morant Bay's Dean Swimmer (7.36m). Both attempts were completed with the wind speed well past the allowable limit.

Immaculate High's Terri-Ann Grant won the women's high jump Open ahead of Alpha Academy's Claudia Calder. Both cleared 1.70m. St Jago's Ichama Dawkins and Khadeen Isaacs of Alpha Academy tied for third with 1.60m.

Alpha clipped Vere Technical to win the high school girls' shuttle hurdles relay in 58.18. Vere were second in 58.25 with Wolmer's third in 59.93.

The men's 110m hurdles Open attracted a fairly weak field and was won in 14.84 by Morant Bay's Hansel Parchment ahead of Luis Flores of the High Performance Centre (15.20) and St Jago's Joel White, 15.31.