Sts Peter and Paul continue purple reign

STS PETER and Paul Preparatory retained their JUSA Prep Championships title on Saturday at the National Stadium.

as the 48th staging of the JISA Prep Championships, powered by GK General Insurance and GK Mutual Funds, ended on Saturday night at the National Stadium.

The Saints, who started the final day of the 48th staging of the championships, powered by GK General Insurance and GK Mutual Funds with 82 points, went on to rack up an additional 138 points to beat to end on 22, getting the better of Vaz Prep, who trailed with 182 points.

In third place was Mona Preparatory, who fell from their day-two tanking to end on 125 points. Emmanuel Christian Academy, 2023 champions, were fourth with 110.5 points, followed by St. Andrew Prep, 105.5.

The highest-ranking rural school of the 42 competing institutions was Mandeville’s Mount St Joseph with 88 points, a feat they achieved for a second year in a row.

In the class 1 boys’ 4x100-metre relay finals, Hydel Prep broke the meet record, finishing in 49:38 seconds. They would repeat the effort in the 4x200, winning gold in 1:42 seconds.

Jerome Kirby, head coach of Sts. Peter and Paul said his team could not have achieved their win without massive support.

“First of all, I want to thank the support that we received from last year into this year – my coaching staff, very few but I want to thank them, my co-coach, Nimroy Turgott, captain of the Jamaica Bobsled team, and Pamela Hewitt, my other PE teacher and track and field specialist, they really helped with this win. I also want to thank the administration, Claudia Nugent, who really pushed for the programme this year.”

He further shared what he believed is his secret to winning two times in a row. “The structure is important, the support – the school, the parents, if you don’t have the support from them to begin with, money first and foremost; the school spent a lot of money this year, the administration believed in the process and the structure that we had from last year, so they poured in a lot. So some parents went above and beyond and I think in addition to the training regimen that we have are two things that stand out as to why we won two years in a row.”

In addition to its sponsorship and execution spend of over $7 million for the hosting of the meet, title sponsors GK General Insurance and GK Mutual Funds will also provide insurance coverage of $40 million to Sts. Peter and Paul. Each gold medal winner walked away with $15,000 in cash to open an investment account, courtesy of GK Mutual Funds.

Chaluk Richards, general manager, GK General Insurance, co-title sponsor of the event, congratulated Sts Peter and Paul on their dominance and thanked JISA for its dedication to students’ holistic development.

“GK General Insurance alongside our sister company GK Mutual Funds commends JISA for their continued push in giving our future world champions and Olympians a platform to shine as they build on the legacy of this meet each year. By doing this, they continue to create avenues and opportunities for our children to achieve their best both in and out of the classroom,” Richards said.

Sunshine Snacks and Main Event also sponsored this year’s staging of the meet.