KC, Edwin Allen the favourites for Champs ’24

Defending boys’ champions Kingston College (KC) and former girls’ winners Edwin Allen High will start as overwhelming favourites to top the 2024 ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys and Girls’ Athletics Championships (Champs) when the world’s most popular high school track and field meet begins today at 9 a.m. at the National Stadium.

Title sponsors GraceKennedy and its subsidiaries have pumped $178 million into this year’s 113th staging of the five-day championships. In addition, the company, as part of its 102nd anniversary will reward the schools whose athletes break any of the 200 metres records with a whopping $202,000.

This year’s staging will see 88 events being contested, with 101 boys and 97 girls schools on show. More than 100 overseas athletes from the Caribbean, Great Britain, and Africa will also be in action, representing their local high school teams.

This year’s staging will also be the 25th anniversary of the merging of the boys’ and girls’ championships. In recognition of this, the organisers have added a special event to commemorate the occasion. There will be a special mixed relay, where traditional boys’ school teams will team up with their sister school teams. Former Manchester High principal, the late Brandon Gayle, the man who was instrumental in the twinning of boys’ and girls’ championships, will also be recognised.

The Leaford Grant-conditioned KC will be hoping to make it three wins in a row and a 35th title overall. The Michael Dyke-coached Edwin Allen from Frankfield, Clarendon, will be seeking their 10th overall girls’ title.

Both head coaches are very positive going into the championships.

Cautious but confident

Grant expects his main challenges to come from former champions Jamaica College (JC) and Calabar High, and he is hoping for some top performances from his athletes.

“We have prepared well, and God’s willing, after five days of competition, we will be victorious,” said a very cautious but confident Grant. Based on the quality of their teams KC and JC are definitely the top two. KC are likely to get to 300 points with JC well back on 260.

After several mishaps, which cost them the title last year, where they lost by two points to first-time champions Hydel High, 279 to 277, Dyke is extremely confident that his girls will retain the top title and make it number ten to join Holmwood Technical with the number of titles won.

“I am very confident that we will regain our title. Last year’s defeat served as a motivational factor, and the girls have shown a renewed sense of purpose as they are more disciplined and are a lot more determined to do well. They are raring to go, and at this time, there are no injury concerns,” stated Dyke, who is projecting his team to get 345 points or more.

There are no finals scheduled for today. The competition should be intense from start to finish and should attract thousands of fans over the five days.

Action gets under way with the preliminary rounds of the Class Three Girls’ 1500 metres, and this will be followed by the heats of the 100m, 400m hurdles, and boys’ 2000m steeplechase. The 1500m and 100m will have their finals in all classes tomorrow when 17 finals are down to be contested - nine girls’ and eight boys’.

In the preliminary rounds of field events today, there will be action in long jump for Classes One and Two boys along with Class Two girls, high jump Class One girls, discus Class One girls, and shot put Class Two girls.

Several girls will be seeking sprint doubles at the championships. They include Rihanna Scott of Ferncourt High in Class Four, Natrece East of Wolmer’s Girls in Class Three, Theianna -Lee Terrelonge of Edwin Allen in Class Two, and Alliah Baker of Hydel in Class One.

In middle-distance events, athletes Cavel Nooks of JC in Class Three and his teammate, Kemarrio Bygrave in Class One, will be seeking double wins.

Among the girls in the middle distances, Kevongaye Fowler of Edwin Allen in Class Three and her teammate, Rickeisha Simms, in Class One, will be hoping to bag the 800m, 1500m double.