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Northeast O.P.'s Damion Thomas set to compete at Supreme Ventures Limited Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA) National Junior Championships - DyeStatFL 2016Published by
BIG HURDLES SHOWDOWN TO HIGHLIGHT JAMAICA JNR TRIALS NORTHEAST O.P.'s DAMION THOMAS SET TO COMPETE
Noel "Bravo" Francis - The men’s 110m Hurdles event at the Jamaica National Junior Championships (June 18-19) will be one of the stellar attractions. The event has gained national attention because of three exciting youngsters who are champions in their own right facing each other in an epic showdown. Only the top two positions are guaranteed automatic selection, therefore, making this event so tense it may cause spectators to hold their breaths and perhaps experience spine tingling moments just before the crack of the starter’s pistol. American-born Damion Thomas, who recently gained Jamaican citizenship through his Jamaican parents, is a breath of fresh air and has been a crowd favourite ever since he won the CARIFTA trials in March. Thomas went on to capture his first CARIFTA title in the Boys’ under-18 division in Grenada which hosted the prestigious Caribbean games https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7VVIDO1nlE The Northeast High School standout has been undefeated in Florida since 2015 and during that time has amassed an impressive list of achievements. He is the BCAA, Golden South Classic and Louie Bing Classic champion as well as sweeping all the titles in the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) District, Region and State championships. Thomas is currently the world number three (3) on the IAAF Junior rankings with a personal best of 13.42 seconds. Rohan Cole (18) won the Boys under-20 CARIFTA title in St. Kitts to make it a clean sweep for Jamaica in the age-group categories after compatriot Damion Thomas had earlier won the under-18 title. Cole who attends the University of Technology won the Intercollegiate 110m Hurdles title back in April and has been very busy and consistent at the regular development meets at the National Stadium organised by the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA). However, it was at the CARIFTA trials held in March that Cole registered his personal best of 13.48 seconds a world leading mark at the time. Although it has since been surpassed, Cole’s time is still impressive and is currently ranked at number five (5) on the IAAF world listing. Cole is an all-round athlete who likes to keep himself sharp by running 100m races and has a personal best of 10.39 seconds over that distance. He is known for his fast starts and smooth hurdling technique. See Cole easily winning his CARIFTA title in Grenada here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBzgu6_TiRg Dejour Russell is one of the most powerful and promising sprint hurdlers in Jamaica at the moment. The 16-year-old phenomenon is blessed with tremendous speed and has run 10.39 seconds in the 100m and 13.38 seconds in the 110m Hurdles albeit at the 91.4cm height. He is not the quickest starter out of the blocks; however, he is a very strong finisher with amazing top-end speed. Incidentally, both Russell and Damion Thomas met once in the 110m Hurdles final at the CARIFTA games where Russell false started, perhaps trying to get out ahead of Thomas. The long-awaited rematch has been a talking point since that day. At the recent Jamaican High School Championships in March, Russell representing Calabar High school tied the Class 2 110m Hurdles record seen in the video below. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_xI8q45Az8 About the Author:
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Champs 2016 | Class 2 Boys 100mH | Dejour Russell runs 13.45 to tie with the record set by O'Hara More news |
