Our youngsters will compete – Blake
The two-day Jamaica Under-18 Invitational Track and Field championships will be held at the National Stadium at 5 o’ clock this evening. The championships will see junior athletes from Canada, St Kitts and Nevis, and St Vincent and the Grenadines competing in the event.
The Canadians have assembled 42 athletes for the championships, which is the largest number of athletes among the overseas contingent.
Dr Warren Blake, president of the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association, said he is looking forward to a competitive championship.
“I am expecting a very competitive event this weekend because the Canadians have sent down a fairly strong team,” said Blake.
“Traditionally, we are a step ahead of the Canadians in terms of athletic competitions, so even though our athletes may not be the sharpest and some are just getting back into sharpness, I expect that they will be very competitive,” he said.
Blake added: “The important thing is to expose our Under18 athletes to international competition because with the decline of the World Youth Championships, it went back to the region to generate their own Under-18 competition. I see this as an opportunity for Jamaica to step up to the plate to host this competition for the next three years.
The championships will feature competition in the 100m, 400m, 1500m and 3000m; the 100, 110 and 400m hurdles; and the full range of jumps and throws.