By Neto Baptiste
The Princess Margaret School (PMS) maintained its stronghold over the Inter-Schools Track & Field Championships with dominant performances in both the girls and boys categories to win a third straight title when the Cool & Smooth sponsored event climaxed at the YASCO Sports Complex on Sunday.
PMS dominated the boys’ category, amassing 362 points to finish some distance ahead of rivals St Joseph’s Academy (SJA) who amassed 225 points in the second position. The Antigua Grammar School (AGS) placed third with 112 points with Ottos Comprehensive School (OCS) and Clare Hall Secondary School (CHSS), rounding off the top five with 109 and 99 points respectively.
PMS were miles ahead of the competition in the girls’ category, finishing with a total of 296 points with All Saints Secondary School (ASSS) finishing as runners-up with 147 points. Sir Novelle Richards Academy finished third with 144 points, while Clare Hall Secondary (84 pts) and the Antigua Girls’ High School (83 pts) were fourth and fifth respectively.
Principal of PMS, Dr Colin Greene, said they went into the championships with an open mind and focused on the task as hand.
“We never really say we are going to win because you can only win on the track and the fact that you understand that you are defending champions for a number of years that people are going to come after you so you have to determine a winning culture and you have to put in the work. I want from the onset, to congratulate the athletes because I think they have done just that, I think they have worked very hard and they have a positive attitude and they need to be commended. We also want to thank the parents who continue to lend their support to us, the teachers who are part of it and for the rest of the alumni who are still very much in love with Princess Margaret and what we do,” he said.
Greene was especially appreciative of his teams performances in the younger age categories, which he believes underscores the potential to remain a competitive force in the championships for years to come.
“I think we want to say a special congratulations to Rolesha Humphreys who is the under-15 female MVP winning gold in the 100, 200, 400 and the long jump. Also, we think we have found another big name sprinter in Shamar Walters who also won gold in the 100, 200 and 400, but with impressive times as an under-15, running as fast as the under-17s, so we think that the future looks good,” he said.
The competitive principal, however, acknowledged the performances of some rivals, stating that in years to come PMS may have to up their game to stay ahead of the pack.
“I also want to send my congratulations to my colleagues at Ottos Comprehensive who had a good qualifier in the high jumper who put on a show, too. I also want to send special congratulations to my new found friends as Sir Novelle Richards. I think their spirit was absolutely wonderful and it was manifested in their third place and if they continue to work hard, they might be the school we need to watch,” he said.
PMS has consistently won both the boys and girls categories of the championships since 2022.