Intercol Champs takes spotlight at Stadium
DEFENDING MALE and female champions, G.C. Foster College, will be seeking to retain their titles when the two-day NCB Intercollegiate Track and Field Championships gets underway today at the National Stadium.
There will be 14 finals on today’s opening day of competition with eight on the track and six in the field. Action will begin at 1 p.m. with two field event finals, men’s triple jump and women’s javelin. The preliminary round of the women’s 4x100 metres will also be run at 1 p.m.
While GC Foster College are the favourites to retain both titles it is expected that former champions, the University of Technology (UTech) will be strong contenders while the University of West Indies could surprise in the male section.
Meet director Paul Francis, the head coach of the University of Technology, expects great competition over the two days.
“We are expecting exciting competition on the track and in the field. Also we expect stiff competition in the Cheerleading competition on Saturday,” Francis said.
Five top collegiate athletes will be absent from the meet as Mico University College’s Tiffany James and Jamari Rose; Yanique Thompson and Shawn D Thompson from G.C. Foster College and Tajay Gayle of the University of Technology are in the Australia for the Commonwealth Games. However, Francis stated that their absence will not take away from he great competition expected.
“Over the past several years Intercol Championships has produced the backbone of the country’s top athletes at international meets and it should be no different this time around as many good athletes will be on show,” he added while pointing to long jumpers Jessica Noble of UTech and G.C. Foster’s Tissana Hickling along with sprint hurdler Shimarya Williams of UTech.
Francis also stated that the meet will be more spectator friendly this time around.
“We are expecting fun in the party zone once again as the meet will be more spectator friendly as we will be rolling out a digital scoreboard so spectators can teh meet more closely. Intercol will continue to be the meet which produces greatness and 2018 will be no different,” he concluded.