The 2025 ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys’ and Girls’ Athletics Championships are poised for an electrifying climax on Saturday, with Kingston College (KC) and Hydel High firmly in command of their respective divisions after an intense day of competition on Friday.
Despite a setback on Friday—losing 12 crucial points due to the disqualification of boys’ decathlon winner Jurel Clement—KC remains atop the boys’ standings with 136.5 points. Calabar, showing strong form, sits in second place with 115 points, followed by Jamaica College (JC) at 90 points. St. Jago High and Excelsior High round out the top five with 59 and 54 points, respectively.
On the girls’ side, Hydel High leads the charge with 140 points, holding off defending champions Edwin Allen, who are close behind at 129 points. Holmwood Technical High follows with 106 points, while St. Jago High (60) and Immaculate Conception High (55) remain in contention.
Hydel’s Taiefa Gowe rewrites history
The standout performance of the day came from Hydel’s Taiefa Gowe, who etched her name into Champs history with a record-breaking victory in the Girls’ 2000m Steeplechase Open Final. Gowe surged past her competition, clocking an impressive 6:52.82 minutes, shattering the 13-year-old record of 7:01.07 minutes previously set by Edwin Allen’s Desreen Montague in 2012.
Edwin Allen’s Sushana Johnson, who also ran faster than the old record, finished second in 6:55.69 minutes, while Holmwood’s Terrica Clarke claimed third in 7:18.93 minutes.
Over in the Boys’ 2000m Steeplechase, KC’s Brian Kiprop continued his reign of dominance, storming to victory in 5:56.72 minutes to secure his second gold medal of the meet, having already claimed the 1500m title on Wednesday. Jamaica College’s Evans Tetteh finished second in 6:03.85 minutes, while Omar Campbell of BB Coke rounded out the podium with 6:04.46 minutes.
Hoffman shocks Class 1 400m hurdles field
In the final event of the night, the Boys’ Class 1 400m Hurdles Final, Excelsior High’s Kishawn Hoffman stunned the field with a hard-fought victory in 50.97 seconds. Herbert Morrison Technical’s Trevoy Smith (51.12s) and St. George’s College’s Fransico Williams (51.14s) battled to the finish but fell just short of the top spot.
Calabar make a strong push with multiple gold medals
Calabar had an outstanding day, racking up 39 points, fueled by victories in multiple events:
- Micah Wills clinched the Class 2 400m Hurdles gold in 52.69 seconds, ahead of St. Jago’s Raneil Burke (53.57s) and KC’s Eshance Porter (54.02s).
- Lenworth Chung soared to victory in the Boys’ Pole Vault Open, clearing 3.80m, outpacing Excelsior’s Rhyeem Campbell (3.70m) and St. Jago’s Troy Barrett (3.70m).
- Shamar Shaw completed a golden double, adding the Class 3 Long Jump title to the High Jump gold he won the previous day. Shaw’s leap of 6.47m topped KC’s Daquan Dawkins (6.18m) and JC’s Omeco Henclewood (5.95m).
Edwin Allen’s Kellyann Carr ensured her school remained in the title hunt with a superb performance in the Girls’ 400m Hurdles Final, crossing the line in 57.41 seconds. Hydel’s duo of Nastassia Fletcher (57.92s) and Aaliyah Mullings (58.47s) secured second and third places.
More champions emerge in field events
Several athletes delivered championship-worthy performances in field events:
- Jade-Ann Dawkins of St. Jago secured her third consecutive Triple Jump Open title with a 13.11m leap, outdistancing Edwin Allen’s Deijanae Bruce (13.01m) and Hydel’s Sabrina Atkinson (12.85m).
- Jamaica College dominated the Boys’ Triple Jump Open, with Michael-Andre Edwards (15.38m) and Jaivar Cato (15.01m) securing gold and silver, while Ajarie Bloomfield of Titchfield High claimed bronze with 14.93m.
- Daneille Noble of Wolmer’s soared to 1.80m to win the Girls’ Class 1 High Jump, edging out St. Andrew High’s Shannique Williams and Edwin Allen’s Deijanae Bruce, who both cleared 1.73m.
- Immaculate Conception’s Sanique Watt claimed gold in the Class 4 High Jump with a 1.73m clearance.
- Hydel’s Brandane Malcom dominated the Girls’ Class 2 Discus Final with a throw of 46.54m, while Jada Francis (44.89m) and Jamelia Young (43.81m) rounded out the podium.
- Saturday’s grand finale awaits with 44 titles up for grabs
The championship showdown reaches its crescendo on Saturday with 21 finals for the boys and 23 for the girls, promising a thrilling conclusion to five days of fierce competition. Amidst the high stakes, controversy has also played a role, with an unusual number of false starts leading to debate and confusion.
One of the most dramatic moments involved Girls’ Class 1 100m champion Sabrina Dockery, who was disqualified from the 200m semi-finals due to a false-start ruling. However, in a stunning reversal, Dockery was granted a run-off opportunity, which she seized, securing her spot in the final set for Saturday.
With the battle for the coveted Boys’ and Girls’ Champs trophies nearing its end, all eyes will be on Kingston College and Hydel High to see if they can cement their supremacy—or if a dramatic twist awaits in the final stretch.
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