Western prospects look to impress at Champs

IT’S unlikely that any team from western Jamaica will lift any of the championship trophies on Saturday night at the end of the ISSA/GRACEKennedy Boys’ and Girls’ Athletics Championships at the National Stadium but a number of athletes are expected to make their mark on the 24th staging of ‘Super Champs’, the joint staging of both events.

Despite the County of Cornwall Athletics Association (COCAA) Western Championships being held on grass there were a number of impressive performances, and they will hope to peak in time for the ‘big one’.

There were only six individual winners from the COCAA region last year, three of whom have left high school, but the Maggotty High pair of Jayden Brown and Yoshane Bowen, who won the Boys’ Class 3 and 2 800m events, respectively, are back but have moved up in class.

Among the main contenders is silver medallist from last year, Herbert Morrison’s Deandre Daley who is favoured in some quarters to take the Class 1 Boys’ 100m after he ran 10.08 seconds in June.

Daley was only fourth at the Western Champs and skipped the Carifta Trials, but his Coach Claude Grant poured cold water on concerns and said Champs and the World Athletics Under 20 championships are the targets.

Two athletes who have made a lot of noise this year are the Muschett High pair of Johanremaldo Smythe and Tana-shae Gooden, both set to line up in the Boys’ Class 2 and Girls’ Class 2 sprints, respectively.

Both were named in the Carifta Games team and are expected to win Muschett High’s first medals in years. Smythe was beaten in the Western Champs 100m final by former Class 3 champion Tavaine Stewart of Herbert Morrison while William Knibb Memorial also has Jabari Matheson in the 200m.

Lacovia High’s Sabrina Dockery will challenge for honours in the Girls’ Class 2 100m and 200m sprints as well.

After not being eligible to compete at Champs last year, as there were no Class 3 boys’ throws, Munro College’s Javontae Smith is expected take the Class 2 shot put/discus throw double — and if he continues to improve he could challenge some impressive records.

St Elizabeth Technical will display some impressive jumpers, led by Richelle Stanley — a finalist in all three jumps last year and an athlete who has set her eyes on triple gold in her final year at Champs.

Ricoy Hunter leads the Boys’ Class 1 long jump, and after finishing just outside the medals in Class 2 last year, could surprise this year.