Brilliant Performances at Sports Champs 2010, Team Faith Crowned Champions

Brilliant Performances at Sports Champs 2010, Team Faith Crowned Champions

July 29, 2010, Kingston, Jamaica

Faith’s superb performances and inspiriting determination made the Sunshine Crew shinned once again at the 10th Annual Sports Championships. Team Faith's triumphant march for the title was a memorable victory held at St. Andrew High School, St. Andrew, Jamaica. June 26, 2010 proved to be Faith’s day to rejoice and be glad.

Team Faith deservedly was crowned champions with 2380 points. Faith recorded a medal haul of 14 gold, 8 silver and 10 bronze medals. Faith also mined another 8 gold medals in the quality awards, a total of 23 gold medals. Team Hope former fives time champions placed second with 2175 points, and secured 11 gold, 15 silver and 11 bronze. The season’s defending champions Team Love plummeted to last position with 1415 points. Team Love tried desperately hard but could only managed a record low medal tally. Love won 3 gold, 6 silver and 7 bronze medals.

Athletes from several primary, junior high, community groups, colleges and universities gave brilliant performances thrilling the brave spectators who came to witness the historic event. Rohan Walker’s scintillating record breaking performances was instrumental in Team Faith’s historic win at Sports Champs 2010. He won emphatic victories in the Class 2 and Class 3 100m, 200m, 400, and the Class 2 and Class 3, 4x100 relays.

In the first event of the day billed as Keenness of the Kids it was a purple sweep as Team Hope captured purple coloured gold, silver and bronze medals in the girls Under 10 Prep School. Hope’s nine year old Shinola Emmanuel (6:81) of Central Branch All Age was the first gold medalist of the meet, and teammate Shameeka McIntosh (7:34 ), silver and Deidre-Kay Smith (8:38) of King’s Way Prep won bronze. Shimuel Panthon (Hope) of New Providence Primary had Team Hope celebrating early when he won gold clocking 6:00 seconds flat ahead of Kevon Bennett (Faith), Maxfield Park Primary, 6:35 seconds for silver, and Kemoy Brown (Love) of John Mills, 7:18 seconds earned bronze.

Faith registered several one two victories. In the Class 2 100m girls both Saralee Roberts and Keelia Parkinson of Central Branch excited the crowd with their victories. Saralee Roberts posted 13:64 seconds to win gold, while Keelia Parkinson took silver in 14:02 seconds. Mistry Chisholm (Love) of Windward Road clocked 14:94 seconds for bronze.

Keelia Parkinson (Faith) proved her worth with an upset victory in the Class 3 200m. Keelia won a memorable gold in 30:86 seconds while favourite and teammate Chevel Walker earned silver clocking 31:17 seconds and Janel Porter 31:42 seconds. Keelia’s victory was the defining moment for Team Faith and secured a solid position in the points standings.

Rohan Walker (Faith) was superb in the 100m Class 3 Boys striking a record gold clocking 11:54 seconds, ahead of training partner Cannigga Williams (Faith), who posted 11:86 seconds to take silver, while Reginal Russell (Hope) took bronze in11:92 seconds.

Rohan Walker also gave a thrilling performance in the Class 3 400m Boys. Rohan Walker made it look all too easy as he shone so brilliantly and took gold in a record time of 58:27 seconds. Akeno Bailey, (Hope) took silver in 1:00:46 seconds and Shaquille Martin (Hope) bronze in 1:01:88 seconds.

The excitement was now fever pitch in the Match of the Members, 100m Female. Roxanne Schurton (Faith), University of Technology bolted from the blocks and posted a great run to clock 14:22 seconds. Roxanne Schurton who led the race for the most part up to the last 90 meters bravely held on for a well earned silver medal. Marathon runner Kim Kerry Thompson (Hope) of University College of the Caribbean (14:19) just managed to strike gold and Trevesa Ashman (Faith), University of the West Indies (14:59) earned bronze. Michael McLeish (Faith) of MPIXEL made no mistake in the Match of the Members, 100m Male and cruised to victory in 14:34 seconds ahead of Richard Lawrence (Hope) of JUTC who settled for silver in a time of 14:42 seconds.

The Showcase of the Sponsors created excitement and intrigue. Kadian Dyke of Churches Co-operative Credit Union Limited representing Team Hope took gold, while Kenicia Smith of Island Grill representing Team Faith took silver and Patrice Grandison of Optimist Club of UWI Mona representing Team Faith won bronze. Pandemonium broke out as another thriller of the event unfolded in the Showcase of the Sponsors 100m Males. Dwight, “Thrifty Bee the Mascot” (Hope) representing Churches Co-operative Credit Union Limited won gold in a time of 15:71. Dean Jones (Hope) his teammate tried hard for a sliver posting 16:74 and Garvin Grandison (Faith) representing Optimist Club of UWI Mona, bronze 16:84. Thrifty Bee was given a 50m head start and buzzed and tumbled his way to the finish line. The crowd erupted in sheer delighted as the mascot was a gold medalist at Sports Champs 2010.

The 400m Boys Class 2 was a superb display of determination and courage. Cannigga Williams of Team Faith produced a scorching last 10 metres sprint to catch and nip Team Love’s Kemar Brown at the finish-line in 59.05 seconds. Kemar Brown (59:07) lead the race and looked the winner, but Williams, fueled with determination and courage shone through all the odds and won a golden gold for Team Faith. Tekil Edwards (1:16:25) took the pedestrian bronze.

The girls 400m Class 2 was a extremely close call with Team Faith’s Chevel Walker posted victory in a time of 1:10:68 to strike gold, while Team Love’s Lisa Blackwood (1:10:72) held on for a hard earned silver and Team Hope’s Chantell Henry (1:13:28) was a happy camper with bronze.

Also playing a major role in Faith’s triumphant march was Shennare Williams of Vere Technical High School. Shennare was simply sensational. Shennare clocked a record breaking 5:62 seconds in the girls Class 3 50m to win her first gold medal. Williams defeated Chantena Downer (Love) 5:82 seconds of Windward Road and bronze medalist Peta-gaye Dixon (Hope) 5:88 seconds of Vere Technical High School.

Shennare also captured two sliver medals. It was a spectacle performance in the Class 3 100m. The dynamic athlete burned the tracks in the Class 2 200m missed gold with a time of 15:04 seconds. She powered away from the start up to the last 90m but was put outpaced by a last surge by gold medalist Sashel Smallwood (Hope) of Central branch clocking 14:93, while Chantena Downer (Love) was left in the field with 17:59 seconds. Then Shennare came back in the Class 2 200m, clocking 30:13 to win silver. Lasann Lucas (Hope) of Central Branch won gold in 29:55 and Salalee Roberts (Faith) of Central Branch took bronze in 31:03 seconds.

Shennare tried for another win in the Class 2 400m. Unfortunately she pulled-up on the home stretch. However, Shennare was determined and anchored her team to victory in the Class 3 4x100m relays winning gold in 56:66. Shennare and teammates Keelia Parkinson, Saralee Roberts and Chevel Walker was celebrating this win with loud cheers and applauses from the Faith camp. This was a big upset as the eagle defeated Team Hope who was expected to retain the event. Hope won silver clocking 57:64 seconds. Team Love failed to complete the race.

Monifa Green was the standard bearer for Team Love and was the only individual gold medalist for Love. She clocked 5:88 seconds in the Class 2 50m, ahead of a strong competition from Abigail Douglas (Hope) taking the silver in 5:90 seconds and Sashena Francis (Love) the bronze in 6:22 seconds.

Chevel Walker was outstanding in another close call in the Class 2 400m. Chevel clocked 1:10:68 seconds winning gold. Silver medalist Lisa-Blackwood (Love) gave of her best clocking 1:10:72, and Chantel Henry (Hope) won bronze posting 1:13:28 seconds.

Team Faith rewrote the history of sports champs. The top five athletes all came from Team Faith. Team Faith became the first team in a decade to produce the champion boy, runner-up champion boy, and champion girl and runner-up champion at the same meet. Rohan Walker (Faith) retained the title of Champion Boy with 460 points, Cannigga Williams (Faith) second with 430 points and Akeno Bailey (Hope) third with 250 points. In the girl section Shennare Williams (Faith) of Vere Technical High with 270 points of was the Champion girl and adjudged the Most Outstanding Performance - Female, Saralee Roberts (Faith) of Central Branch second with 260 points and Keelia Parkinson (Faith) of Central Branch third place. Team Faith just failed to sweep the relays as Team Love came back with a ninth hour gust of wind and stormed to victory in the 4x100 meters Under 12 Boys and Girls relays. For those who believed, Sports Champs 2010 belong to Team Faith.