Chantz Sawyers Wins Jamaican u20 400m Championship


Chantz Sawyers has had huge freshman year at the Univesity of Florida and continued his success this weekend winning the u20 Jamaican National Championship.

Sawyers graduated last spring with the North Carolina State Record of 46.31 over 400 meters.  At Florida he became an immediate impact for a loaded sprint roster ending the year with an 11th place finish at NCAAs.  Just three spots and .42 seconds out of qualifying for finals.  He also placed 4th in the SEC Outdoor Conference Championships.  Sawyers was also a critical leg on Florida's 4x400m which took 4th at NCAAs.

This weekend Sawyers took on a strong Jamaican field in the 400.  Sawyers was able to advance out of the prelims with ease.  Reports say Sawyers was even able to hold a conversation with his competitor Anthony Carpenter down the homestretch as he took 2nd in the heat clocking 47.77.

Sawyers went on to the finals the next day, but he would be running out of lane 8, meaning he would have no eyes on where he was relative to his competition.  

Sawyers went out hard over the first 200m and no one was able to make up the stagger on him.  On the final turn, it looked as if competitors were making up ground on the Florida freshman.  But Sawyers had another gear and was able to charge down the homestretch clocking 45.76.


Sawyers will advance to the IAAF World Junior Championships next month in Tampere, Finland. He'll compete in the 400m and potentially will be on Jamaica's 4x400m Relay as well.


Sawyers had this to say about his Jamaican Junior Trials Performance and what he's looking forward to heading to Finland.
"I definitely happy with my win at the Jamaican Junior trial. Of course, I  wish I could have gotten a better time, but I am satisfied with the win and that a completed the job that was to be done which was to qualify in an individual. What I am looking forward to the most at the World Juniors is of course running and having a chance to medal in my event and potentially be on a World Junior record 4x4 team as we have a really good chance in breaking it this year! Besides the running though, I am excited about being able to see and meet people from all over the world and see how the country of Finland looks."

Finals Results

 C.F.P.I. Timing & Data - Contractor License              6/24/2018 - 8:18 PM
      JAAA/SVL National Senior& Junior Trials - 6/21/2018 to 6/24/2018       
                              National Stadium                               
 
Event 16  Boys 18-19 400 Meter Dash Under 20
================================================================             
IAAF Under20: % 44.66  10/20/2000  Hamdan Odha AL-BISHI, KSA                 
 Nat. Junior: R 44.93  3/28/2015   Akeem Bloomfield                          
    Comp#  Name                 Age Team                Finals              
================================================================             
Finals                                                                       
  1 #  399 Chantz Sawyers     19 University o             45.76              
  2 #  185 Dashawn Morris     19 Kingston college         45.97              
  3 #   36 Shemar Chambers    19 Calabar High school      46.39              
  4 #  391 Malik Smith        19 Unattached               46.68              
  5 #   35 Anthony Carpenter  19 Calabar High school      47.52              
  6 #  264 Antonio Watson     17 Petersfield High         47.78              
  7 #  153 Davitto Davey      19 Holmwood Tec             48.99              
  8 #   41 Malik James-King   19 Calabar High school      49.47              
=============================================================================
                          Men - Team Rankings - 1 Events Scored              
=============================================================================
    1) GC Foster College           13        2) MVP                        10
    3) Uwi mona                     6        4) University of technology    4

Prelim Results

 C.F.P.I. Timing & Data - Contractor License    6/24/2018 - 8:18 PM
 JAAA/SVL National Senior& Junior Trials - 6/21/2018 to 6/24/2018  
                         National Stadium                          
 
Event 16  Boys 18-19 400 Meter Dash Under 20
8 Advance:  Top 2 Each Heat plus Next 2 Best Times
================================================================   
IAAF Under20: % 44.66  10/20/2000  Hamdan Odha AL-BISHI, KSA       
 Nat. Junior: R 44.93  3/28/2015   Akeem Bloomfield                
    Comp#  Name                 Age Team                   Prelims    
================================================================   
Heat  1 Preliminaries                                              
  1 #  185 Dashawn Morris     19 Kingston college         47.01Q   
  2 #  391 Malik Smith        19 Unattached               47.15Q   
  3 #  264 Antonio Watson     17 Petersfield High         47.90q   
  4 #  376 Eric Foreman       18 Unattached               50.44    
  5 #  217 Rushane Gayle      19 Muschett High            51.91    
Heat  2 Preliminaries                                              
  1 #   36 Shemar Chambers    19 Calabar High school      47.15Q   
  2 #   41 Malik James-King   19 Calabar High school      47.95Q   
  3 #  153 Davitto Davey      19 Holmwood Tec             48.68q   
  4 #  384 Andre McLeod       18 Unattached               50.57    
  5 #  207 Joseph Mckenzie    19 Mona High                51.31    
  6 #  373 Patrick Chamberla  18 Unattached               51.65    
Heat  3 Preliminaries                                              
  1 #   35 Anthony Carpenter  19 Calabar High school      47.36Q   
  2 #  399 Chantz Sawyers     19 University o             47.77Q   
  3 #  218 Ailean Hamilton    18 Muschett High            48.86    
  4 #  220 lijae holness      19 Muschett High            50.26    
  5 #  206 Jamoi Jackson      18 Mona High                50.49    
  6 #  485 Okeve Smith        18 Unattached               51.41    
  7 #  219 Nicholas Haughton  18 Muschett High            56.55    
===================================================================
IAAF Under20: % 44.66  10/20/2000  Hamdan Odha AL-BISHI, KSA       
 Nat. Junior: R 44.93  3/28/2015   Akeem Bloomfield                
    Comp#  Name                 Age Team                   Prelims  H#
===================================================================
Preliminaries                                                      
  1 #  185 Dashawn Morris     19 Kingston college         47.01Q  1
  2 #   36 Shemar Chambers    19 Calabar High school      47.15Q  2
  3 #   35 Anthony Carpenter  19 Calabar High school      47.36Q  3
  4 #  391 Malik Smith        19 Unattached               47.15Q  1
  5 #  399 Chantz Sawyers     19 University o             47.77Q  3
  6 #   41 Malik James-King   19 Calabar High school      47.95Q  2
  7 #  264 Antonio Watson     17 Petersfield High         47.90q  1
  8 #  153 Davitto Davey      19 Holmwood Tec             48.68q  2
  9 #  218 Ailean Hamilton    18 Muschett High            48.86   3
 10 #  220 lijae holness      19 Muschett High            50.26   3
 11 #  376 Eric Foreman       18 Unattached               50.44   1
 12 #  206 Jamoi Jackson      18 Mona High                50.49   3
 13 #  384 Andre McLeod       18 Unattached               50.57   2
 14 #  207 Joseph Mckenzie    19 Mona High                51.31   2
 15 #  485 Okeve Smith        18 Unattached               51.41   3
 16 #  373 Patrick Chamberla  18 Unattached               51.65   2
 17 #  217 Rushane Gayle      19 Muschett High            51.91   1
 18 #  219 Nicholas Haughton  18 Muschett High            56.55   3