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Purewater/JC meet set to provide early opportunities

Published:Friday | December 27, 2019 | 12:39 AMRaymond Graham/Gleaner Writer
Rosalee Cooper (left) of St Jago High and Hydel High’s Taffara Rose battling for top spot in Heat One of the Class One girls’ 100 metres hurdles at the Purewater/JC/R. Danny Williams Invitational Development meet at Jamaica College on Saturday, January 5, 2019. Cooper won in 14.32 seconds.
Ian Allen
Rosalee Cooper (left) of St Jago High and Hydel High’s Taffara Rose battling for top spot in Heat One of the Class One girls’ 100 metres hurdles at the Purewater/JC/R. Danny Williams Invitational Development meet at Jamaica College on Saturday, January 5, 2019. Cooper won in 14.32 seconds.

THE 2020 athleticS season is expected to be a busy one both locally and internationally, with the staging of the World Athletics Under-20 championships in Nairobi, Kenya, being the highlight for juniors and the Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, being the focus for seniors.

The local season will kick off next Saturday at Jamaica College (JC), with the Purewater/JC/R. Danny Williams InvitationalDevelopment Meet, as usual, getting things off the mark.

A qualifying event for the 2020 ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys and Girls’ Athletics Championships, the meet will have its 27th staging and will be held at the JC Ashenheim Stadium, starting at 8:30 a.m.

Once again JC will be honouring one of its distinguished past students at the meet, and this time around, it will be Michael Campbell, who will be recognised for his fitness efforts and commitment to the development of sports at the Old Hope Road-based institution.

Following last year’s big turnout, which coincided with the first staging of the event at the new track, this year’s staging is expected to be even bigger as most of the high-school coaches will want to ensure that their charges meet early qualification standards for Champs while using the opportunity to assess their athletes following the Christmas break.

The meet will also provide an opportunity for fans to take an early look at a number of top high-school athletes, who recently changed schools as they make their first strides for their new teams ahead of what is expected to be another exciting season.