Spanish Town Infant claims Portmore basic schools athletics crown

Spanish Town Infant School captured the title at the fourth staging of the Portmore Sports Association Basic Schools Athletics Championship, recently unseating Silverstone Infant as champion. The newcomers closed the meet on 220 points, 55 ahead of Silverstone on 165.

Spanish Town won three of the six shuttle relays. The school took the class one boys race ahead of Kensington Basic and Silverstone Infant, then added the class one girls event in front of Greater Portmore Infant and Ascot Infant. Spanish Town also secured the class two girls relay, beating Silverstone and St. George's Infant.

Union Garden Infant won the class two boys relay, with Ascot second and Silverstone third. Silverstone topped the class three girls race ahead of Ascot and Kensington, while Jude's Kids Getting There won the class three boys event, finishing before Ascot and Silverstone.

The hurdles also produced notable results. Union Garden Infant's Kidane Linton won the boys 50-metre hurdles open, with Michael Ian Bell of Glad Tidings second and Jailen Gay of PJ Prep third. PJ Prep's Aliana Cunningham won the girls equivalent, ahead of Spanish Town's Kimoya Cope and Ascot's Malika Fuller.

Cunningham was named class one champion girl, while Spanish Town's Keody White was class one champion boy. In class two, Spanish Town's Kelenique Edwards and Ascot's Jordan Bennett earned the champion girl and boy awards. The class three honours went to Spanish Town's Giana Thomas and God's Little Angels' Prince Halford.

Kensington finished third overall on 139 points, followed by Ascot on 124 and Union Garden on 89. Greater Portmore, Glad Tidings Early Childhood and Prep School, Jude's Kids Play Center, Waterford Infant and St. George's completed the top 10.

Preparation for Spanish Town included training five days a week, sometimes twice daily, and the team said it intends to return next year to defend the crown. Organisers said 16 schools competed this year, up from six last year, and noted that sponsorship would be needed to support a two-day event, future improvements and a possible prize fund.