SIXTEEN-year-old Deshana Skeete was the most outstanding athlete at the Boyce and Jefford Track and Field Classic, winning the Women’s 100 metres, 200 metres and 400 metres title, when the marquee event was hosted over the weekend at the Mackenzie Sports Club Ground.

A record 168 athletes from eight local clubs participated in the event which was celebrating its ninth year, but when the dust was settled at the Linden facility, it was the Guyana Police Force (GPF) who walked away with the $700,000 prize and the overall title for the fifth consecutive time and their seventh overall.

The GPF athletes totalled 336 points at the end of the two-day track and field meet, while the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) mustered 241 points, which was good enough for second place and $400,000. Third place went to Christianburg-Wismar Secondary School Track Club with 200 points and for their effort, the Linden school pocketed $250,000. The University of Guyana (UG) finished fourth after amassing 124 points and collected $150,000.

Meanwhile, the day belonged to Skeete, the country’s leading junior female athlete, who first stunned the crowd on the opening day of the Boyce and Jefford Classic with her blistering run in the women’s 200M in a time of 25.6 seconds, beating Alita Moore to second place (25.9 seconds), while Casie Small ran 26.5 seconds, which was good enough for third.

Skeete returned on day two to pick up where she left off, this time winning the 400M, her pet event, after stopping the clock at 59.2 seconds. Jevina Thompson (59.6 seconds) and Leyanna Jane (one minute, 04.9 seconds) were second and third respectively.

The Mackenzie High School (MHS) student, who competed under the Christianburg-Wismar Secondary School Track Club, would cap her sensational performance at the Boyce and Jefford Track and Field Classic by winning the women’s 100 metres, running 12.0 seconds to finish ahead of Small (12.3 seconds) and Aniqua Powley (12.5 seconds).

Emanuel Archibald also impressed his home crowd, after the University of the West Indies student/athlete, competing for the University of Guyana, won the ‘blue ribbon event’, the men’s 100M with a time of 10.2 seconds.

2017 CARIFTA Games 100M gold medallist, Compton Caesar, finished behind Archibald with 10.8 seconds and Yannick Williams’ 11.1 seconds saw him finishing third.

In the 200M, Caesar also came second (22.5 second), this time behind winner Akeem Stewart (22.3 seconds) and Arinze Chance was third (22.7 seconds).

Joanna Archer’s time of two minutes, 26.8 seconds (2:26.8) saw her winning the women’s 800 metres ahead of Janina Sampson (2:27.1) and Leanna Charles (2:30.2).