Ralford Mullings, Kavian Kerr, Chevonne Hall, Aron Tanui, Luke Brown, Nishon Pierre, and Akeel Hanchard, winners at the 2021 ISSA/Grace Kennedy Boys and Girls Championships, have all secured United States college scholarships. Impressive for their respective high schools, they could be joined overseas by two others who are finalizing their post-secondary plans.

Mullings, the discus winner for Kingston College, and St Jago High School’s long jump champion Kerr are already settled at Arizona State University and Kansas State University respectively. They went directly from medal-winning performances at the World Under 20 Championships to their new institutions.

Mullings was second at the World Under 20 event and Kerr took a bronze.

Hall, winner of the class1 800m and 1500m for Edwin Allen, Mullings’ Kenyan Kingston College teammate Tanui, who took the 5000m, Calabar’s triple jump victor Brown, Grenadian high jump supremo Pierre of Jamaica College and javelin gold medallist Hanchard will represent South Plains Junior College, Pratt Community College, Holy Family University and Alabama State respectively.

Hall moves to South Plains at the end of a fine season. At Champs, he broke the class 1 800m record set in 2019 by Kimar Farquharson with a new time of 1:48.57 seconds with Rivaldo Marshall of Calabar High School and J’Voughnn Blake of Jamaica College also under 1:49 seconds.

Though he missed the World Under 20 final, Hall set a new personal best of 1:48.50 seconds.

Top decathlete Javain Johnson and 2000m steeplechase winner Kirk Dawkins, both of Kingston College, are finalizing their plans for scholarships.

Two 2021 class 1 Champs winners have gone to the world-renowned Racers Track Club. They are Jamaica College’s 400m/400m hurdles double winner Javier Brown and Petersfield High School’s, 2017 World Under 18, 400 champion, Antonio Watson who won the class 1 200m at Champs. Brown stole the show by stepping down from his usual middle distance events to dazzle with personal best times of 45.75 and 49.86 seconds respectively. 

Disclaimer

The Inter Secondary Schools Association, Grace Kennedy Limited or the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association is not endorsed or affiliated with American Airlines Group. Any perceived assocaition is purely speculative and/or coincidental.