21 hours ago
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OUR LADY of the Angels (OLA) made a valiant start, amassing 17 points after two finals and leaping to the top of the pack during day one of the 2025 JISA Prep Schools Championships, powered by GK General Insurance and GK Mutual Funds, at the National Stadium yesterday.
The 48th staging of the three-day meet continues today at 9:00 a.m. with four finals in the Class 1 Girls’ High Jump, Class 2 Girls’ Long Jump, Class 1 Boys’ High Jump and Class 2 Boys’ Long Jump.
Following OLA’s lead, the combined standings from yesterday’s finals are Mona on 12 points, Emanuel Christian Academy 11, Vaz Preparatory with nine, St. Andrew Prep with seven, Morris Knibb with six, and defending champions Sts Peter & Paul with 5.5 points.
Zion Reid won the first final of the day, the Boys’ Class 2 High Jump, with a personal best of 1.35 metres. This is an improvement on his 2024 second-place finish in the final with a leap of 1.25. Vaz Prep’s Julani Robinson placed second with a jump of 1.25, and Kamran Jones from Emanuel Christian Academy was third with the same distance.
The second final of the day, the Girls’ Class 2 High Jump was won by Mona Preparatory’s Leila Bell with a jump of 1.15. She won by having a better second jump than second and third place, respectively, St. Andrew Preparatory’s Emily Young and Morris Knibb’s Kristen Williams, who both stretched out to 1.15 as well.
On the track side, the Girls’ Class 1, 100m got under way with an impressive opening heat from Paris White of Stella Marris leading with a victory in 13.00 seconds. Finishing second in Heat One was Kailyn Kadeija Ottey of Williams Elite Academy with a personal best 13.88, and Laila Binns rounded out the top three in that heat with a finishing time of 14.10.
Speaking at the end of day one, Grace Bourah, head coach of OLA, was not surprised by the results but said that with a small team, they would be hard-pressed to keep that lead.
“Well, we expected to be in the lead after day one. We’re taking each day step by step. It’s a smaller team than last year, but they are power packed, but as we say, ‘fear none, trust God, have fun, and we are angels with wings’,” she said.
“It’s not going to be possible for us to win this year given the number of athletes that we have and the number of events, but you never know. This is Champs. Lots of things can happen.”
With over 2,000 athletes from 41 schools competing, title sponsors GK General Insurance and GK Mutual Funds weighed in on the meet after day one.
Chaluk Richards, managing director of GraceKennedy General Insurance, co-title sponsors for the meet, commended the students for their drive, passion, and determination throughout the day’s events. He noted the importance sports play in their overall growth and development, expressing his anticipation for more head-to-head finals as the meet continues into the weekend, calling it”‘the perfect sports event for the family”.
The overall winners of the meet will receive $40 million in insurance coverage courtesy of GK General Insurance, with each first-place winner receiving $15,000 cash to start their GK Mutual Funds Investment portfolio. The event wraps tomorrow.
English (US) ·