Rohaan Simons and Latroya Darrell’s under 16 high jump records will remain for another year after two Berkeley 15-year-olds just missed setting new marks yesterday in the Senior Schools Sports Day at the National Sports Centre.

Sakari Famous and Elisha Darrell went after the records set by Simons in 1992 and Darrell in 2003 and even had Simons, the national high jump coach, there to encourage them. Famous, whose jump of 1.70 metres earned her the win, had the bar set at 1.76 metres in a bid to break Darrell’s record of 1.75.

However, the Carifta qualifier, missed with all three attempts, including the final bid when her heel clipped the bar.

Soon after, the high jump area was active again, this time for the under 16 boys with Darrell, whose first name is pronounced E-lie-sha, aiming to reach the Carifta qualifying mark of 1.90 metres after having already recorded a best jump of 1.85 to win the event. He also won the long jump with a leap of 6.37 metres.

Simons’s record of 1.93 which he set as a Warwick Secondary School student 23 years ago, remains intact after Darrell failed in his three attempts to clear the bar at 1.90 metres.

“I feel very disappointed about it, I feel I should have jumped it today. I think it is some run up issues that I need to work on, probably in the last third,” Darrell who already stands 6ft 1½in, said.

Said Simons: “My eyes light up when I see him, I think back to when I was his age and if I had that height ... I was 5ft 7in when I jumped these heights. He has what it takes and just has to work harder, analyse things in his technique and it will come.”

Simons, who also holds the over 16 high jump record, was urging the youngster to clear the bar at 1.90 in the hopes that he would then go for the record of 1.93 in his last year in the under 16s. “I really appreciate it [support] because there aren’t a lot of people who can teach people to do high jump and he’s a great coach.” Darrell said of Simons, who has been coaching him for three years.

Simons had mixed emotions as he watched Darrell perform, knowing that he could have seen his record broken after 23 years. “It’s kind of like a dubious award because I always want people I coach to break my record,” Simons said. “It’s been there too long, which probably says something about our state of jumping in Bermuda for the last 20 years.”

The finals of the senior schools competition will be held this evening, with events starting at 4pm, and Simons is expecting something special from one of the over-16 high jumpers.

“I think one of my records will fall tomorrow, Jah-Nhai Perinchief in the over 16s,” he predicted. “That should be shattered tomorrow, hopefully.

“I’ve seen some very talented youngsters out here today and it looks promising, depending on what the youngsters want to do, whether they want to give their time to high jump. If they want to give their time, then I have plenty of time.”

Famous jumped 1.75 last year when competing at the Russell E Blunt East Coast Invitational in North Carolina — a US national record for the 13-14 age group — but yesterday she fell short of that mark which would have matched Latroya Darrell’s record.

“It was a good attempt, very disappointing in the end, but I did my best,” said Famous who identified her fault. “I released my arch too early.”

Famous already has two medals in Carifta with a best jump there of 1.65 so she has a good chance of another medal in St Kitt’s. Coach Simons says the sky is the limit for her.

“I think Sakari is a fantastic athlete, she’s at a very, very high level, not just in the region but in her age group,” he said. “She’s got vast experience, a double silver medallist at Carifta and right now jumping 1.70 consistently. She is exactly where I need her to be going into Carifta.

“Those are the heights she’s going to need to achieve to get into the medals. Her work ethic is very, very high and she also plays basketball and it does help.

“In high jump, coaching her is fantastic because I know I’m going to get 100 per cent. She’s very committed to doing well and getting the best out of what she’s being taught.”

Laura Hope and Haley Sullivan of Saltus finished first and second in the under-16 girls 3,000 metres final, Hope winning in 12.31.43. Flora Duffy’s record of 11.34.00 set in 2004 is still intact. Dezhane West of Berkeley, won the over-16 3,000 metres in 13:17.33.

Jordan Bascome of Berkeley had wins in the over-16 girls long jump and javelin where Sonya Smith’s record throw of 47.78 metres set in 1979 still stands. Smith also has the record for the girls under-16 javelin (1977) with a throw of 42.40. Demiqua Daniels of CedarBridge won that event yesterday with a throw of 24.38.

Two other long standing records are Candy Ford’s under-16 200 metres record of 24.50 set in 1979 and Gina Smith’s under-16 girls 400 metres mark of 59.10 set that same year.

Carifta hopefuls will have one final chance tomorrow afternoon to reach qualifying standards when a track meet is held at the National Sports Centre.