There was an unexpected twist on Day 3 of the ISSA Grace Kennedy Boys and Girls Athletics Championship at the National Stadium. The surprising development came in the Class One boys’ 200m, where season leader and reigning 100m champion, Gary Card of Wolmers, was a no-show for the half-lap sprint.

Card, who had been predicted to take the sprint double, was notably absent from heat one, leaving his lane empty. The news comes after he appeared visibly strained in the 100m final a day earlier, raising concerns about his fitness. In his absence Lacovia’s Rosean Smith claimed victory ahead of Khamani Gordon, stopping the clock at 21.31 seconds with Calabar’s Gordon second in 21.40s and Mickhoy Curtis (Munro College) third in 21.50s.

While Card’s withdrawal left a significant gap in the competition, the female sprinters showed no signs of faltering. Both Sabrina Dockery of Lacovia and Shannoya Douglas of Muschett continued their pursuit of double sprint titles, successfully navigating the day’s events with ease. Dockery, the Class One girls’ 100m champion, led the qualifiers with 23.22 seconds, while Douglas, the Class Two girls’ 100m champion, booked her spot in the semi-finals of the 200m with a solid 24.95 seconds.

In the Class Two girls’ 200m, it was Sashana Johnson of Hydel who stole the show, posting the fastest qualifying time of 24.30 seconds. Other athletes making progress included Kerelle Etienne of Edwin Allen and Natrece East of Wolmers, both of whom also moved on to the next stage. Meanwhile, in Class One, Dockery was followed closely by Rihana Allen (St. Elizabeth Technical), who clocked 23.93 seconds, and Jounée Armstrong of Edwin Allen, with a time of 24.01 seconds.

The field events also provided plenty of excitement. Anastacia Richards of St. Elizabeth Technical claimed the gold medal in the Class Four girls’ long jump, leaping to a distance of 5.49 metres, edging out Kemoya Campbell of Edwin Allen, who managed 5.21 metres. Shanique Watt of Immaculate secured the bronze with a jump of 5.16 metres.

The high jump events also had their fair share of drama. Sackoya Palmer of St. Mary’s High produced an outstanding performance in the Class Three girls’ high jump, clearing 1.65 metres to take gold. She was closely followed by Brianna Stewart of St. Jago and Stefanco Henry of Campion College, both of whom were also credited with a height of 1.65m but settled for silver and bronze respectively.

In the boys’ Class Three high jump, Shemar Shaw of Calabar claimed his school’s first gold of the championship with a clearance of 1.78 metres. His performance was matched by Jemarie Nugent of Kingston College and Keandre Thomas of Herbert Morrison, who both secured silver and bronze after clearing the same height.

At press time in the boys’ standings, defending champions Kingston College, after 13 finals, held the lead with 73.2 points, followed by Calabar with 69, Jamaica College on 52. On the girls’ side, Edwin Allen, after the completion of 15 of 46 events, are ahead with 83 points, leading Holmwood Technical by 4 points, while St. Jago trailed in third with 77 points.