SPOTLIGHT ON GIBSON-McCOOK RELAYS
THE GIBSON McCook Relays, the Caribbean region’s leading one-day relay carnival, , gets under way at 9 a.m. today at the National Stadium with the with the preliminary round of the high school boys 4x400 metres and will close at 9:24 p.m. with the finals in this event.
Chairman of the Gibson McCook Relays organising committee, Professor Rainford Wilks, says everything is in place for the meet which continues to attract the cream of track and field talent locally.
“I am satisfied that everything is in place for another successful staging of the Relays as we have done this over the years and all the processes are i n place. We are a bit disappointed not to have the overseas athletes competing but we have a feeling that we are going to have a big turnout of our elite athletes and also at the high school and international level,” Professor Wilks said.
There should be a lot of fireworks in the high school events and among the elite athletes. The latter will be using the meet as part of the warmup for next weekend’s World Indoor Championships in Birmingham, England and the April 4-15 Commonwealth Games in Australia.
All finals will be in the afternoon and will get under way with the mile open f or men at 4 p.m and the women’s mile open at t 4:20 p.m.
Sprint relay showdowns will come in the Championships events where the winners will be awarded commemorative watches. The events include the Class One 4x100m for high school boys and girls; 4x400m high school boys and girls open; 4x800m high school boys and girls open; sprint medley open for high school boys and girls; 4x100m Institutions men and 4x400m institutions men. With the ISSA Boys and Girls’ Championships just under a month away and Digicel cash prizes to the top teams along with the McCook Trophy a lot of attention will be focused on the high school events.
Calabar High, if they send their strongest team to the meet should dominate the boys’ events while the big four - Edwin Allen High, Hydel High, Holmwood Technical and St Jago are expected to be the top girls’ teams.
The Class Three girls from Edwin Allen should set the Stadium on fire as they look to take the 4x100m to another level. Last year they were the first Class Three high school team to go under 45 seconds. They have gone under that time twice this season after posting 44.93 seconds at the Milo Western Relays and earlier this week at Central Championships they went even faster after clocking 44.85. A sub 44.5 could be on the cards here.
HOPING TO DOMINATE
Edwin Allen will be hoping to dominate all relays but will have their hands full as the Class Four 4 x100m look a straight fight between St Jago and Hydel. In Class Two, Edwin Allen, led by Kevona Davis, are favoured while Holmwood look set to dominate Class One.
Hydel after two sub 3:40 this season in the 4x400m, with a best of 3:39.41 at Central Championships, will be the team to beat here. The Sprint Medley which will be contested for the first time could see Spaulding High going all the way while Edwin Allen and Holmwood should have a battle royal in the 4x800m.
Fans will be hoping that Calabar will send out a very strong team today as the Red Hills Roadbased team has been very hot this season after dominating rivals at the Corporate Development Meet a week ago with some fantastic performances, winning all relays.
Their 4x100m Class One and the 4x400 Open, at full strength will attract most attention.
Kingston College have always done well at this meet and after being blown away by Calabar last week at the same venue, will be hoping to bounce back and give their fans something to cheer for, while the likes of St Jago, Jamaica College, St Elizabeth Technical and Petersfield should make their presence felt.