Quarrie wants Immaculate to take part in history

THE CLASS One 100-metre girls’ final is expected to be the most memorable and competitive at this year’s ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys and Girl’s Athletics Championships.

Immaculate Conception High School sprint coach Floyd Quarrie says that the goal for his sprinting group is to be a part of a race that could be historic.

The Class One 100m sprinting duo of Gabrielle Lyn and captain Chanel Honeywell have been boosted by their performances at the Corporate Area Championships earlier this month, finishing first and second in the event, leading a sprinting sweep that involved Class Two, Three and Four.

The team’s head coach Franz Forde described Corporate Champs as being a game-changer for their ambitions regarding a return to the top 10 at Champs after their 21st-place showing last year.

The performances to date, Quarrie says, have been guided by the ambitions of his athletes.

“I’ve always coached based on their goals and expectations. The discussions have always been what it is that you want. And once you set that goal, I just try to lock in and help them as best as possible to achieve that, or even beyond that,” Quarrie told The Gleaner.

The battle for the Class One girls’ 100-metre crown will be fierce with Brianna Lyston of Hydel currently having the fastest time among the class, with a blistering 11.14 seconds set at Central Champs on March 15.

Edwin Allen’s Tina Clayton has the second-fastest time with 11.26 seconds, while her sister Tia has the third-fastest time with 11.35 seconds. Lyn and Honeywell have run times of 12.04 seconds and 12.08 seconds most recently at the G.C. Foster Classic.

Acknowledging the task that they have before them, Quarrie says that if they can make the final eight of the race, it would be an accomplishment in itself,

“That final is just one that you want to be a part of. I just want them to have their names etched to one of the most competitive 100m in schoolgirl history and to have them there, getting to the finals, you already pass the rest. Because as sprinters, it is one of the hardest things is to get into the finals. Once they line up in the top eight, I am happy,” Quarrie said.

DRIVEN

Honeywell says that she believes that they have the opportunity to cause some shocks in the field with the team more driven this year to perform, taking inspiration from their Corporate Champs display

“I think that we have the talent. I think we have the drive and I think we can do it. I think we have what it takes. I can definitely say that when you look at the girls’ training, they train with a lot more heart and more passion than years before. You can tell that they really want this, they want a lot out of this and they are putting in the work to get it,” Honeywell said.

It has been a programme that has benefited from the support of BCIC, GraceKennedy, Alternative Power Souce and Accupower Jamaica. Quarrie says that they have every chance of mirroring their top six Champs finish in 2019 this year as long as they can replicate their Corporate Champs form.

daniel.wheeler@gleanerjm.com