No final-year pressure for Levell
EDWIN ALLEN High School’s ace sprinter Bryan Levell will open his 2023 season tomorrow when he competes in the Class One 200 metres and 4x100 metres relay at the Central Hurdles and Relays meet at the GC Foster College in Spanish Town.
The 19-year-old Levell is the Issa/gracekennedy Boys’ Athletics Championships ‘Champs’ doublesprint champion. He captured the 100 and 200 metres last year and went on to to win gold in the 200m gold at the Carifta Games. He was also a member of Jamaica’s silver medal-winning
4x100m team at the World Under-20 Championships in
Cali, Colombia last August. Jamaica crossed the line third but were promoted to second after original winners
South Africa were disqualified for a lane violation.
“This season, I am just going out to have fun and will not put myself under any pressure, and I am hoping to stay injury free for the entire season,” said Levell ahead of tomorrow’s meet.
He was a bit disappointed with his individual results in Cali, where he ended sixth in the 200 metres finals. “I was kind of disappointed in Cali in the 200m, where I ran a personal best of 20.34 seconds to win my semi-finals, and if I had repeated that time in the finals, I would have at least finished third and collected a medal,”levell said.
After achieving the sprint double at ‘Champs’ and doing so well, many thought he would not have returned to Edwin Allen for his final year and would have gone the professional route like his female schoolmates, Tia and Tina Clayton. However, Levell said he is not ready to make that move.
“I don’t think I am ready for that transition to the professional level as yet as my body needs more development. I wanted to come back to Edwin Allen to put in more work under my coach and put the male side of the team more on the map. I am also thinking of going to college as I have several invitations to visit colleges in the United States, and then I will make a decision on which one I will attend,” he added.
With Levell back at school, one of the biggest clashes at this year’s Boys’ Championships will come in the Class One 100m, where he will come up against Kingston College’s Nkrumie Bouwahjgie, who finished second in the event in Cali in a personal best and National Under-20 record of 10.02 seconds. Bouwahjgie was beaten by Letsile Tebogo of Botswana, who won in 9.91, a World Under-20 record.
Bouwahjgie was among the favourites for the event at ‘Champs’ last year, but in the final he stumbled after coming out of the blocks. He was left way behind the field but made up tremendous ground to finish sixth.
Levell declined to speak about a possible clash with Bouwahjgie at ‘Champs’ this year.
“For me it is not about one or two athletes as once you are in the final, any of the eight athletes have a chance to win,” said Levell.
‘This season, I am just going out to have fun and will not put myself under any pressure, and I am hoping to stay injury free for the entire season.’