Tafari Levy tops boys under-18 110m hurdles semi at JAAA nationals

Tafari Levy of Jamaica College took first place in a boys under-18 110m hurdles semi-final on day three of the JAAA/PUMA National Junior and Senior Championships, booking a spot in the final along with the other top finishers from the heat.

Under the qualifying format, the first three in each semi advance, together with the next two fastest times across the round. Levy lined up in lane four with a seeded mark of 13.91 seconds. Deondre Matthews of Calabar started from lane three after entering with 13.17, while Wolmer’s Mark Daniel Allen occupied lane five on a seeding of 13.25. Allen arrived as the class-two 110m hurdles champion at Champs this year and as Carifta under-17 champion after clocking 13.25 to win that title.

Also in the field were Zaheer Nairn Singh of Campion College in lane six, whose best this season is 14.55, and Deondre Cooper of Camperdown High in lane seven with a personal best of 14.72.

Matthews burst out of the blocks with the strongest opening, and Levy moved into the fight early as Allen dropped back. The Jamaica College athlete pulled ahead late in the race, with all three front-runners clearing the barriers cleanly. The official result gave Levy 13.62 seconds, Matthews 13.69 in second, and Allen 14.01 in third.

Those three times secured automatic passage to the final. Several athletes who medalled at Champs have struggled to reproduce that form so far at these national championships.