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St Jago’s Johnson happy for ‘important win’ in high jump
March 22, 2024
It was a head-to-head battle in the Class Three boys' high jump final as the Central Champion Nikaro Johnson of St Jago High narrowly defeated the Corporate Area champion Kingston College's (KC) Steven Hurd to claim gold at the ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys and Girls' Athletics Championships at the National Stadium on Thursday.
Johnson leapt 1.87 metres, while Hurd's best effort of 1.84 had him settling for silver. St Mary High's Desjaun Lewis won bronze when he cleared 1.75.
Johnson, lost for words explaining the significance of the gold medal, was bursting with joy as he celebrated his win.
"The win is very, very important. It's so important. It really is," he said. "I want to say thanks to my coaches and everyone as well. I'm just feeling so proud of myself. Honestly, I'm just speechless. I don't know what to say."
Johnson said he wanted to prove a point in his event, as many people felt he would not be able to win gold. With the medal now under his belt, he hopes to improve as he moves to Class Two.
"The win is important to me because many people said they didn't believe and now I've made them believe. Now, I will keep it going into Class Two, try my best again and stay focussed. I will thank everyone who believed in me. I'm proud of myself."
Hurd, while a figure of disappointment, was a gracious lad in defeat as he congratulated Johnson on his victory.
Hurd explained he entered the competition knowing Johnson would be his main competitor and was confident he could do enough to edge his St Jago counterpart. Hurd said he is looking forward to competing against Johnson again.
"First, I'd want to congratulate him because all season he's been performing well, and I remember at Carifta Trials when he jumped 1.75 metres, he said, 'I'm going to save it for Champs', and he was right.
"I was confident going into it but, unfortunately, I couldn't get first place. I'll be back next year. I think we both just wanted to give our goals a good name and show the talents that can come from our areas," he continued.
