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Crash kills MVP athlete, hospitalises teammate

Published:Sunday | September 10, 2017 | 12:00 AMRaymond Graham
Usain Bolt on anchor receives the baton from Michael Campbell (third right) during the sprint relay heats at the IAAF World Championships in London, England, last month.

MVP Track Club athlete Jordan Scott, formerly of Mannings School and Petersfield High, died in a car crash on Hope Road yesterday morning. Fellow sprinter Michael Campbell, also of MVP, was a passenger in the car and has been admitted to the University Hospital of the West Indies.

The Matilda's Corner police said that at around 4:45 a.m., Scott, who was driving, lost control of the vehicle and crashed into a utility pole. The car caught fire, burning the 21-year-old beyond recognition. It is believed that the two men were on their way from a party.

It is understood that Scott, who was entering is third year at the University of Technology, was in training for some time but had stopped and had decided to resume his track career this season.

"Hearing the news was very shocking. I am in disbelief," said Machell Woolery, head coach of Petersfield. "Jordan attended Mannings, then spent two years at Petersfield before returning to Mannings to (do) two years of sixth form," he said. Woolery described Scott as a jovial and hard-working individual and said that he had participated for Petersfield as part of his 4x400m relay team at Western Championships in 2014 and at the Penn Relays a year later.

Campbell, undoubtedly, is one of the most improved athletes coming out of the high school circuit in recent times. A former student of Jamaica College, Campbell ran Jamaica's third leg in the preliminary round of the Men's 4x100m relay at the recent IAAF World Championships in London, England.