Impressive Barnett shatters discus record 'Francis' meet

Paul Reid

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

VERE, Clarendon — Edwin Allen High School's Tara-Sue Barnett broke the National Junior Record in the girls' discus on Saturday when she threw an impressive 50.93m to win the event at the second Ben Francis track meet held at Vere Technical High School.

Barnett's record throw, which is also over the qualifying mark for the IAAF World Junior Championships to be held in Barcelona, Spain later this year, beat the mark of 48.71m set by former St Hughs' High School's Candecia Bernard on March 6, 2010.

The winning throw came on the second attempt in the first round after the 17-year-old Girls Champs Class Two winner last year, had opened with 47.72m, which was also a personal best throw, while trailing teammate Daniel Thomas who opened with 49.62m.

Barnett, the first Jamaican school girl to throw over 50m, has joined several Jamaican field events athletes to make the qualifying standards for the IAAF World Junior Championships in Barcelona, Spain after the Calabar high duo of Ashinia Miller in the shot put and Fedrick Dacres in both shot put and discus; St Elizabeth Technical's Peta Gay Reid and Edwin Allen's Kimberly Williamson in the high jump and Wolmer's Boys' Christoff Bryan also in the high jump made the standards.

Meanwhile, the Edwin Allen High coaches could be forced into a tough decision when selecting their two Class One throwers for Girls Champs in late March.

With Barnett establishing the new NJR, it is almost certain she will be on the team with Thomas, who won Class One at Champs last year and former champion Sasha Gay Marston, who was third with 45.66m on Saturday also in the picture.