Anthony Foster, Freelance Writer
Easy does it! ... St. Jago's Yohan Blake (left) cruises across the finish line as Herbert Morrison's Dexter Lee (centre) and Nickel Ashmeade, also of St. Jago, battle for second place at yesterday's Carifta Trials at Stadium East. Blake won in 10.28 while Lee (10.38) and Ashmeade (10.39) were second and third respectively. - Ricardo Makyn/Staff Photographer
WORLD JUNIOR Championships bronze medallists Yohan Blake and Carrie Russell were in impressive form on yesterday's opening day of the two-day Carifta Games Trials at the National Stadium East complex.
Blake, in his first 100 metre outing this season, ran his fastest time at the complex - 10.28 seconds to take the boys' Under-20 event ahead of Dexter Lee of Herbert Morrison and St. Jago teammate Nickel Ashmeade.
Blake, the national junior record holder at 10.11, said it wasn't the best race, "because my strained hamstring is still giving me problems".
However, he said, "not a 100 per cent and running like this coming up to Champs, I am just going to keep running faster as the days go by.
"Come Champs you can look for a 10.0, I am not looking to run 9.9 until after Champs at the Carifta Games," he said while saying his recovery process was going well.
Battle to the finish
In the girls' event, as expected, Russell of St. Thomas Technical and Vere's Jura Levy battled it out to the finish line. Russell stopped the clock in 11.59 seconds, just ahead of Levy (11.60) with Shawna Anderson of Edwin Allen (11.70).
In the Under-17 events, Earl Lee of Calabar (10.81) beat Munro's Rolando Reid (10.95) while Holmwood's Petra Fanty (11.99) beat Glengoffe's Natasha Morrison (12.00) in the girls' equivalent.
In the 800m, Campion's Theon O'Connor (1:52.35) beat Vere's Ryan Reid (1:52.80), while Manchester High's Natoya Goule (2:09.93) outclassed Marvia Lewin of Edwin Allen (2:12.65) in the Under-20 categories. Javere Bell of Seaforth (1:53.33) beat JC's Waquar DaCosta (1:53.38) in the boys' Under-17 800m.
Titles
Andre Peart (51.11) beat KC teammate Kerion Stewart (53.19), in the boys' Under-20 400m hurdles while Shana-Gaye Tracey of Manchester (58.58) downed Edwin Allen's Nikita Tracey (58.97) for the girls' title.
Wolmer's Kevaughn Allen (55.84) took the boys' Under-17 400m hurdles, while Immaculate's Samantha Elliott (42.78) took the girls' 300m hurdles.
Kemoy Campbell of Bellefield (14:46.98) won the boys' Under-20 5,000m, while Neisha Morgan of Manchester (10:20.33) took the 3,000m for under-20 girls.
Ichama Dawkins of St. Jago (37.01m) won the girls' Under-20 javelin, Rochelle Farquharson of STETHS (5.62m) took the girls' Under-17 long jump, Sheena Powell of Manchester (34.92m) took the girls' Under-17 discus and Peta-Gaye Reid of STETHS (1.70m) won the girls' Under-17 high jump.
Today's final day start at 11:00 with the boys' under-20 long jump and ends at 4:45 with the 400m finals.
