Leftr: Holmwood Technical's Petrene Palmer leads Taneisha Davis of Vere and her teammate Amoya Bailey in the girls' 3000m open at Saturday's Puma/Jamaica Amateur Ath-letics Association (JAAA) Development Track & Field Meet at Kirkvine Sports Club in Manchester. Palmer won the event in 11:05.90 ahead of Bailey (11:11.50) and Davis (11:11.80). Right: Natoya Goule of Manchester High winning the Class Two girls 400m at the Queen'sl/ Grace Jackson Atlethics meet at the Stadium East field on Saturday. Goule clocked 55.91 seconds. - photos by Ian Allen/Staff Photographer Anthony Foster, Freelance Writer
The 3000m clash between Manchester High's Natoya Goule and Holmwood's Petrene Plummer is shaping up to be the hottest event at the two-day Milo-sponsored Central Athletic Championships, which opens today at G.C. Foster College.
After a 4x400m relay leg face-off at January's JAAA/Puma Development Meet held at Kirkvine, where Plummer beat Goule to carry Holmwood to victory, many await the real clash between the two over the 3000m.
Goule, 15, was unbeaten on the road for three years until American Christine Clifton beat her at last month's High Mountain Coffee 10K, while her first and only track defeat in three years came at the feet of Vere's Teneisha Davis at Carifta Trials last year.
However, many, including the Holmwood camp, believe Plummer, 13, who won the Sigma 5K last Sunday - a race Goule did not start - could spring an upset.
However, Goule's coach Jerry Holness was quick to point out that his athlete "will be running the 3000m, we have nothing to hide."
Eyeing another win
Meanwhile, defending girls champions Vere are not eyeing another win, but finalising a team for Champs.
"There are some people we need to take a final look at before we go into Champs," said Vere's coach Dwayne Jarrett.
Kayann Robinson, Jura Levy, Teneisha Davis, Kimberly Williams, Shantel Thompson and Lanice Hall are Vere's top athletes.
Defending Girls Champs winners, Holmwood are also looking to finalise it's team, according to assistant coach Dave Anderson.
"Most of the athletes will only do one event," he said. "It's more likely we are not going to win because it's more to see where we are ahead of Champs," he added.
Again, one expects Holmwood will keep their top sprinters, Anastasia Le-Roy, Schillonie Calvert and Bobbie-Gaye Wilkins apart. This could mean Calvert will start in the 100m, Le-Roy in the 200m, while Wilkins could run the 400m, leaving Keno Haven to run the 800m and Vanessa Boyd to start in the 1500m.
As for Manchester High's girls, who will be spearheaded by Shana-Gaye Tracey, Deneisha Morris and Judith Riley, the aim according to coach Holness is to build team confidence.
Additionally, he said: "I will have to make a few changes to run some people in different events just to see how well they will fit in."
Seeking qualifying spots
Acording to coach Michael Dyke Edwin Allen, who will be depending on Kimberly Williams, Andrea Sutherland, and Nafeene Briscoe, says he is using the Championships to secure the outstanding qualifying spots for Champs.
Unlike the girls, the boy schools from Central Jamaica are not expected to star at Champs, so this could be their real championships.
However, athletes like Bellefield's Kemoy Campbell, Jair Francis of Manchester High and Claude Mel-hado of Edwin Allen are expected to do well.
Edwin Allen are defending boys champions, but coach Clasford Stoner, said "we are not going to win, but to compete," while pointing to a few injuries in his camp.
Aabutnott Gallimore, Albert Town, Alston, Bellefield, Belair, Central, Christiana, Clarendon College, DeCareret College, Denbigh, Edwin Allen, Glenmuir, Holmwood, Knox College, Man-chester, May Day, Mile Gully, Ocho Rios, Porus, Spaulding, Vere Technical, and Winston Jones are the teams downto take part.
The events to be contested are 400m hurdles, shot put, long jump, high jump, triple jump, discus, javelin, sprint medley, 1550m, 3000m, 5000m, 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, 4x100m and 4x400m.
Feedback: anthony.foster@gleanerjm.com
