What to expect two weeks before Champs

What to expect two weeks before Champs

Tuesday, March 08, 2011

WHEN news broke earlier this year that the annual Gibson Relays might have to be postponed, many people in the track and field circle in Jamaica felt their hearts collectively skipped a beat.

Coaches, fans and athletes alike all winced at the thought of not having the one-day spectacle as a last major preparation for ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys' and Girls' Athletics Championships. One can just imagine the relief when the dust settled and it turned out that it was not cancelled, but postponed due to the renovation work being done on the track.

Enter a new scenario; Gibson Relays will be the first major meet to be held on the newly installed track at the National Stadium.

The 35th staging of the event will be this Saturday, March 12 and based on the proximity to Champs, will offer possibly the greatest indication of what will happen at Champs than it ever has. The annual relay carnival, which is said to be the biggest one-day carnival of its kind in this hemisphere, is just two weeks before Champs (March 23-26). This means that no matter what games the top coaches might want to play, the gravity of the event will pull the best out of their charges.

With that said, keen attention will be placed on the high school relays. Indeed, the eyes of the crowd will be glued to the track when the 4x100, and 4x400 metre races for high schools are being run.

Based on what has been happening throughout the season, many of the country's top schools are ready to unleash crack squads at Champs and this weekend could provide us with our first glimpse.

One of the key events to watch at this year's event will be the boys' class one 4x100 metres. STETHS took the title in record form at this year's Western Relays but they will be pushed by the likes of Munro College, who are boasting Adam Cummings and Delano Williams in the line-up. Wolmer's Boys and Jamaica College should also be in the mix.

The high school 4x400 metres should be the perfect closers for the show this year. Many schools have been secretly putting together strong teams to compete in this event and we could see something special at this year's staging.