Levell, Kennedy working to be better

Bryan Levell and Delano Kennedy, teammates at Edwin Allen High School, are both working to make 2023 a better year on the track than 2022. That’s the assurance from their coach, Leon Powell, who led the team to a fine fifth place at the ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys and Girls’ Athletics Championships last year. The Edwin Allen bid for more got a boost at the Central Hurdles and Relays meet last Saturday as Levell and Kennedy triumphed in their pet events.

In front of a small audience at the GC Foster College for Physical Education and Sport, Levell appeared first. His anchor leg was a comfortable jaunt and Edwin Allen won in 41.63 seconds, with Excelsior at 41.93.

“It was a good race, knowing that it was our first 4x100 metres of the season. I think it was a good result,” the Carifta 200 metres winner said afterwards.

Kennedy powered through the blustery wind at the sports college to outrun Jasauna Dennis of St Elizabeth Technical High 47.93 to 48.48 seconds in the Class One 400 metres.

Asked for an evaluation of the performance by his two Carifta champions, coach Powell was measured.

“Kennedy wants this season to be better than he did last season, so they’re working towards that, both him and Levell, and as a matter of fact, the entire team wants to do well,” Powell contended.

Last year’s fifth-place finish at Boys’ Championships is an Edwin Allen benchmark.

As Kennedy did in the 400m, Levell reached the World Under-20 Championships 200m final, and before the day was over, he returned for an equally comfortable trip over 200m. He raced against the men and scorched them in 20.76 seconds.

Powell has high hopes for the sprint relay team of Aiden Stewart, Joshua St Jean, Shevaughn Fearon, and Levell.

“It’s just that we’re trying to clean up the baton exchanges a bit and see if we can get some faster times and just really a work in progress. We’re not really doing as much as we would like to now, but based on what we’re doing, we are getting respectable results,” he said.

After the same quartet placed fifth in 2022, the coach is eyeing a spot among the Champs Class One medals.

“That’s our plan, and that’s the boys’ plan, too,” he outlined, “so they have been even assisting me in terms of strategising how we should go about things, and I’ve been listening to them and others, too.”

Last season, Levell did his work on the second leg, but he may not be needed there any more. “The other guys are becoming much stronger now,” coach Powell postulated, “so I’m more comfortable with other persons running probably on the backstretch not necessarily having Bryan running there. So it’s just based on the strength of the team why I’m able to shuffle as I am now.”