Omari Brown, Akira Malaver, Chinapoo brothers dominate South/Central Regionals Day 2

THE trio of Omari Brown, Kadeem Chinapoo and Akira Malaver continued their impressive form on the second and final day of the Richards, Cedenio, Borel South/Central division of the Secondary School Track and Field (SSTF) regional championships at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo on Thursday.

On the first day of the championships on Wednesday, Brown (boys’ under-17 110-metre hurdles), Chinapoo (boys’ under-17 100-metres) and Malaver (girls’ under-17 400-metres) all achieved the Carifta standards in their respective disciplines.

On Thursday, Brown turned his attention to the boys’ under-17 long jump event, as he topped the 12-man field by leaping a distance of 6.66 metres — eclipsing the Carifta qualifying mark of 6.34 metres. The Carapichaima West Secondary student beat Naparima College’s Timothy Hamilton (6.00 metres) into second spot. Both Brown and Hamilton booked their spots for the national championships next month as they bettered the 5.90-metres qualifying mark.

In the boys’ under-17 200-metre event, Chinapoo again oozed class, storming to a win in heat two in 22.06 seconds — dipping under the Carifta qualifying standard of 22.24 seconds. Chinapoo, a St Benedict’s College student, created a massive distance between himself and the chasing pack, with Naparima’s Kyle Manswell finishing second in 23.82 seconds.

In the 40-man field, Chinapoo was the only athlete to dip under 23 seconds, with Gasparillo Secondary’s Justin Dowridge (23.24 seconds) clocking the second-fastest time overall as he won heat three by a canter.

Chinapoo’s brother, Hakeem Chinapoo, led from the front in the boys’ 17+ 200-metre event when he topped the field with a time of 21.56 seconds. Running in the first of seven heats, Hakeem showed his power down the straightaway to pip Presentation College San Fernando’s Jayden Clement (21.65 seconds) to the line. Clement’s schoolmate, Mikhail Byer, recorded the third-fastest time overall when he clocked 21.94 seconds to claim the top spot in heat four.

Byer, Clement and Hakeem were the only students to meet the 22.10-second mark to automatically qualify for the national championships.

In the girls’ under-17 200-metre event, Malaver was again in a class of her own as she torched the track to win heat six in 24.23 seconds — well inside the Carifta (24.89 seconds) and national championships (25.20 seconds) qualifying standards. Malaver’s Holy Faith Convent Penal schoolmate Kyah Hyson (25.81 seconds) finished with the second-best time overall when she sped to a comfortable win in heat two.