Achau’s impressive 1500m victory highlights McKenley-Wint Classic

Kenyan athlete Ryan Achau of St Jago High School delivered a stellar performance at the McKenley-Wint Track and Field Classic on Saturday, winning the Boys’ Class One 1500m in 3:54.51 at Calabar High School.

The 17-year-old, preparing for his debut at the Boys and Girls’ Athletics Championships (Champs) in March, secured a comfortable victory, surpassing last year’s Champs winning time. Achau’s compatriot Brian Kiprop, representing Kingston College (KC), won the event at Champs 2024 in 3:56.81 during his first year in Class One.

Achau outpaced teammates Justin Webb (4:19.99) and Dijhantai Lewis (4:20.10) and now appears poised to challenge the Champs record of 3:45.54, set by Kemoy Campbell of Bellefield High in 2010.

Achau showcased his talent with two notable wins in the final month of the year: one at the Reggae Marathon in Negril on December 8, and another at the Wesley Powell Track and Field Invitational Meet at Excelsior High on December 14.

At the Reggae Marathon, he triumphed in the 10K with a commanding time of 32:53, finishing well ahead of Roquelme Johnson (36:10) and Corey Christie (36:17).

At the Wesley Powell meet, he secured a remarkable victory in the 5000m open, crossing the line in 15:40.70 to claim first place by a significant margin. He outpaced four other African-born athletes from KC,  Peter Njuguna (16:19.61), Chris Wanjiku (16:52.95), Victor Kagika (17:09.81), and Stephen Muturi (17:26.44).

Romario Hines of Munro College wins Section D of the Boys' Class One 100m.

Other notable victories on the boys’ side included Romario Hines of Munro College and Shaquane Gordon of Calabar High, who both clocked 10.60 in the Boys’ Class One time final. Gordon, who ran in Section A, was judged the winner, with Zachary Wallace of Maggotty High finishing closely behind in third at 10.61.

Hines returned to capture the 400m title in 47.02, the only sub-48-second performance across 22 heats.

Three additional Calabar sprinters also enjoyed their moment in the spotlight. Byron Walker made an impressive statement in the Boys’ Class Two 100m, winning easily in 10.65. Javane Clayton triumphed in Class Three with a time of 11.17, while Diwayne Sharpe took the Boys’ Class Two 400m title in 48.33, the only sub-49 clocking across the 19 sections.

Diwayne Sharpe of Calabar wins the Boys’ Class Two 400m.

Daniel Clarke of KC excelled in the Boys’ Class One 110m hurdles, winning in 14.16 ahead of Calabar’s Shaquane Gordon (14.40) and Dijon Swaine (14.44).

There were notable performances in the field events, including Calabar's Shamar Shaw, who won the Boys’ Class Three long jump with a leap of 6.26m, and Javontae Smith of Munro College, who took first place in the Class Two discus with a throw of 53.27m.

Shanoya Douglas of Muschett High wins the Girls' Class Two 100m.

On the girls’ side, Shanoya Douglas of Muschett High and Sabrina Dockery of Lacovia High continued their strong early-season form with commanding victories in their respective events.

Douglas, 17, who earned bronze in the 200m at the World Athletics Under-20 Championships in Lima, Peru, last August, claimed the Girls' Class Two 100m in 11.48 seconds. She defeated Wolmer’s duo Tiana Marshall (11.91) and Kaysian Sewell (12.15).

Marshall bounced back to claim the Class Two 100m hurdles in a solid 13.90 seconds.

Sabrina Dockery of Lacovia High wins the Girls' Class One 400m.

Dockery triumphed in the Class One 400m, finishing in 55.89 seconds, ahead of Sashashunta Hemmings of Hydel High (56.28) and Sabrina McDonald of Papine High (58.33), who placed second and third, respectively.

Other standout performances among the girls included Amelia Hacker of Hydel High, who won the Class Four 100m in 12.41 seconds, and Sashana Johnson, also from Hydel, who triumphed in the Class Two 400m with a time of 55.65 seconds.

Sashana Johnson of Hydel High wins the Girls' Class Two 400m.