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Taylor wants perfect race at Boys' Champs

Published:Tuesday | March 14, 2017 | 12:00 AMShayne Fairman
Taylor

In what would sounds like an ominous warning to Calabar High school's main rivals, 400m prodigy Christopher Taylor says he is looking to run the "perfect race" and help his school retain their ISSA GraceKennedy Boys and Girls' Athletics Championships, this month.

The eagerly anticipated championships, considered the greatest high-school sporting spectacle in the world, will take place from March 28 to April 1 at the National Stadium in Kingston.

Taylor, who clocked a personal best of 20.59 seconds in winning the Boys' Under-20 200m at last Saturday's G.C. Foster Classics, is already in seemingly unstoppable form.

He capped off Saturday's Digicel Grand Prix finale with a scintillating 4x400m anchor leg run, leading Calabar to a new meet record of 3:09.96.

Taylor's Calabar lowered the old mark of 3:10.84 set by St Elizabeth Technical High School in 2015.

"That race was just to come out here and execute a perfect 200m, and to run the curve hard, and I did that, and had a personal best, so I am happy with that," Taylor said in an interview.

 

FOCUSED SEASON

 

His easy 200m victory was completed in a time of 20.59 seconds, shy of the 20.40 seconds set by Nigel Ellis of St Elizabeth Technical High School last year.

Having what can be considered a quiet but focused season so far, the Calabar star also won the 2017 carifta trials 400m in an outstanding 45.41 seconds.

At this month's 107th staging of the champs, few might be betting against confident Taylor to lead his school's gold medal charge in the 200, 400 and 4x400m, respectively, while successfully helping Calabar to retain the title against a highly touted Kingston College team.

According to Taylor, his plan is to win, and help the team.

"My normal focus going there prepared to go fast and try to get my school to defend the title at this year's championship."