WITH over $1.5M up for grabs, Police Sports Club sprinter Alita Moore, who broke two records when she won the 100m and 400m for women, was adjudged the Champion Female Athlete, while the Running Braves Athletic Club’s Stephan James was adjudged the Male Champion Athlete for his triple wins over the 100m, 200m and 400m races. Seven records tumbled when the Boyce and Jefford Classic IV climaxed at the Mackenzie Sports Club ground on Sunday night in Linden

Trinidad’s 19-year-old Mark London, this year’s Carifta Games 800m and 1500m gold medallist, disposed of the field in the 800m International event, while Running Braves Track Club dethroned the Police Sports Club to become the new champions.
At the end of 28 completed events Running Braves had accumulated a winning total of 448.50 points from Police Sports Club, the defending champions on 422 to be second, a surprising third place for debutants Christianburg/Wismar Track Club on 172, fourth Mercury Fast Laners, fifth Guyana Defence Force with 134, sixth Upper Demerara Schools with 115.50, seventh Grenada on 20, eighth Rising Stars Track Club with 16, ninth Trinidad and Tobago on 10 and in the cellar Suriname Athletics Bond on six points.
On the second and final day of the 4th Boyce and Jefford Classic it was also significant to note the performance of first- timers, the youthful Christianburg/Wismar Secondary Track Club, who placed a creditable third in the seven participating teams even without their star athlete Carifta Games gold medallist Cassie George who was absent due to injury.
Moore first captured the women’s 100m dash erasing the time of 12.20s set in 2011 by Letitia Myles of the Guyana Defence Force, with a new time of 12.00s flat as Running Braves’ Alisha Fortune was second with an equal time of the previous record in 12.20, and third was Mercury’s Neisa Allen.
19-year-old Moore then won the 400m for women in another record time when she clocked 58.10 to beat the previous record of 58.70 set by Shannah Thornhill in 2011. Second was Running Braves’ Natrena Hooper with teammate Neisa Allen third.
She was also second in the 200m to the veteran Alicia Fortune who won that event in 25.20s.
The triple gold winner James won the 100m dash in 10.70 to beat the Guyana Defence Force’s Davin Fraser into second position and in third place ran Upper Demerara’s Winston Caesar (Jr). James also took the 200m in a time of 21.90s from Mercury’s Kevin Abbensetts, while third place went to Police’s Shawn Semple.
The dominant James was later rewarded for his triple gold performances as he chalked up his third win in the 400m for men, by winning in a time of 49.60s from Shawn Semple of Police and Jason Yaw of Upper Demerara who was third.
Another Running Braves athlete Jevina Straker broke her own record in the 800m race when she copped that event in 2 mins 21.40 secs to replace the previous record of 2:22.80, which was set in 2011. Andrea Foster brought second with Police’s Jenella Jones third.
Straker then copped a second gold medal; with a record run over 1500m in a time of 4 minutes 56.40 secs to erase the 5 mins :02.00 set by Jenella Jonas of Police in 2011, Second in that race was Grenada’s Kenisha Pascal in 5:00.40 and third Rising Stars Alika Morgan in a time of 5:10.10
Trinidad and Tobago’s double Carifta Games gold medallist Mark London showed his class in beating the field to win in 1min:57.40secs, but this was off the record set by Dennis Horatio of Police in 2011, when he recorded a time of 1:55.50. Placing second to London was Police athlete Kevin Bailey and third Cleveland Thomas of Running Braves.
Another record which was shattered was the men’s shot put where Julius Sinclair broke his own record representing the Police Sports Club as he won with a throw of 13.35m beating his previous best of 12.58m which was set in 2011. Second was Ronald Payne of Police Sports Club and third was Brentnol Hoyte of Upper Demerara. Sinclair also won the men’s discus with a throw of 38.16m from Upper Demerara’s Brentnol Hoyte second and Cordell English of Police third.
Rising Stars’ Alika Morgan won the women’s 3000m in 11mins:25.30secs, ahead of Grenada’s Kenisha Pascal. Third was Jevina Straker
Another record fell in the 800m medley women’s event as the Running Braves quartet of Shaquan Daniels, Neisa Daniels, Alisha Fortune and Natrena Hooper took the race in a time of 1min 52.20 to erase the record set by the Police team of 1:54 in 2011. Next were Police and third Christianburg/Wismar.
Latoya Rodney of Police Sports Club smashed the women’s discus record when she hauled the shot put in to 30.69m, beating the record set in 2011 of 29.56 by Phillycia Burke.
Natasha Alder was second representing Police and third was Nakita McAlman of Christianburg/Wismar. The women’s shot put saw Lina Bowman of Running Braves relegate last year’s Champion Female Athlete Natasha Alder to silver, as Bowman won with a throw of 9.51m, and another Police athlete Stacy Wilson was third.
Alder was, however, able to win the women’s javelin with a distance of 35.75m, ahead of Bowman, second, and Rodney third.
Running Braves won the women’s medley from Police and Christianburg/Wismar placed third.
The Guyana Defence Force’s Cleveland Thomas took honours in the men’s 1500m run where he clocked a winning time of 4mins:13.20secs to defeat Police’s Kevin Bailey second and Running Braves’ Devon Barrington third.
Cleveland Forde took care of business as he captured the 5000m event in a time of 16mins:58.30secs, which was off his 2011 record of 16:25.00 from Police’s Nathaniel Giddings second, and third was another Police athlete Dennis Horatio.
The men’s javelin throw was won by GDF’s Leslain Baird with a distance of 53.10m from Michael Bowman for Running Braves second and third Cordell English of Police.
Running Braves took the 4x400m relay from Mercury Fast Laners and third-placers Police Sports Club. Running Braves won the 1500m Sprint Medley from GDF and third-placed Police Sports Club. The Men’s distance medley went to Police Sports Club.
In a kind gesture during the presentation Rising Stars’ Alika Morgan showed her appreciation for the young promising Christianburg Wismar Track Club athlete Cassie George by presenting her with a huge trophy, which went down well with the large crowd gathered to see yet another year of fine track and field showing by the cream of the nation’s athletes and further afield.