Chad Hendricks won the U-20 boys’ discus with a throw of 58.61m at the JAAA All Japan Junior Track and Field Championships at the National Stadium on Saturday. (Photo: Colin Reid)
Chad Hendricks finally won the boys’ under-19 discus event at the All Japan Junior Championships held at the National Stadium on Saturday, beating Shaiquan Dunn by just nine millimeters after a fierce but friendly battle.
Munro College’s Hendricks, the Western champion and Penn Relays winner, beat his University of Jamaica colleague for the first time, but both athletes broke the qualifying distance with throws of 55.50 metres, meaning they could compete for the Jamaican team at the World Athletics Under-20 Championships in Lima, Peru, in late August.
He threw 58.69m to win over Dunn, who threw 58.60m, with Kamari Kennedy coming in third with 51.68m.
Hendrix, who has accepted a scholarship offer to attend Louisiana State University (LSU) later this year, kept his cool about the win, telling the Jamaica Observer: “I don’t know what made the difference in me beating Dan today but I’m happy with the win, as I always am.”
He believes he is heading in the right direction but “I need to step up and prove myself on the day,” he said, adding that he knows what to expect after competing in the CARIFTA Games in April.
The World Under-20 Championships are scheduled to begin on August 27, two weeks after the new school year is scheduled to start in the United States, but Hendricks told the Observer he has already spoken to staff at Louisiana State University and would be comfortable starting the tournament a few weeks later.
Hendrix’s teammate, Serecele Johnson, won the high jump title with 1.85 meters.
Romario Hines also led the heats in the under-19 200m with a personal best of 21.01 seconds (-1.1 m/s), which was faster than his personal best of 21.26 seconds set at the Men’s Track and Field Championships in March.
CARIFTA record holder Martinho Rose also advanced in 21.29 (-0.3m/s), as did Junior Gallimore of Calabar High School in 21.32 (-0.3m/s).
CARIFTA finalists Johan Lamardo-Smythe (21.48) (-1.1 m/s), Tyrese Foreman (21.75) and Antonio Powell (21.86) will also be vying for one of two spots on the team to compete in late August in Lima, Peru.
USA resident Skylar Franklin led the 19 and under girls 200m heats with a time of 23.01 (-0.8m/s), followed by Sabrina Dockery of Lacovia High School with 23.32 (-0.5m/s) and Shanoya Douglas of Muschett High School, winner of the Inter-School Athletic Association (ISSA) Girls Class 2 Championships with 23.82 (-0.1m/s).
ISSA Championship Class 1 winner Aaliyah Baker of Hydel also qualified in 24.19 (-0.5 m/s), along with June Armstrong of Edwin Allen High School (24.33).
Shaquan Gordon led the 110m hurdles qualifiers in 13.43 seconds (-0.1m/s), followed by Richard Hall and Daniel Beckford in 13.45 seconds, Daniel Clark (13.55), Shevon Depass (13.91) and Matthew Sullivan (13.92).
Shania Myers was fastest in the 100m hurdles with a time of 13.43 (-1.1m/s), ahead of Brianna Campbell (13.46) (-0.7m/s), Toni Ann Forbes (13.48) and favorite Habiba Harris (13.50).
Shaniqua Williams, the only Jamaican with a qualifying record, won the under-19 girls high jump with 1.75 metres. Xavienne Bernard came third with 1.70 metres, tied with Deijanae Bruce in second.
Bernard, 15, cleared 1.83 metres but is too young to compete in the World U-20 Championships, where swimmers must be 16 or over in the year of the competition.
