Mon | Mar 23, 2026

JC, KC set for fierce battle at Champs

Published:Monday | March 23, 2026 | 12:11 AMRaymond Graham/Gleaner Writer
Pause
Jamaica College athletes celebrate after capturing the 4x400m Open final at the Gibson McCook Relays on Saturday, February 28 at the National Stadium.
Antoine Lodge
Jamaica College athletes celebrate after capturing the 4x400m Open final at the Gibson McCook Relays on Saturday, February 28 at the National Stadium.
Alexander Pusey of Kingston College wins the Class Two long jump with a leap of 7.05 metres at last month’s Corporate Area Athletics Championships. The meet was held at the Ashenheim Stadium, Jamaica College.
Ian Allen
Alexander Pusey of Kingston College wins the Class Two long jump with a leap of 7.05 metres at last month’s Corporate Area Athletics Championships. The meet was held at the Ashenheim Stadium, Jamaica College.
1
2

WHEN action gets under way tomorrow at the 2026 ISSA/Grace Kennedy Boys and Girls’ Athletics Championships, fans can look forward to five days of intense competition.

As usual, a fierce battle is expected among the boys, and all indications are pointing towards an intense fight for top honours between 36-time champions Kingston College (KC), the defending champions, and 21-time winners Jamaica College.

A year ago, KC produced a commanding performance to turn back Calabar High and JC to make it four wins in a row, and the North Street-based school will be hoping to make it five straight titles. However, despite scoring 293 points for a comfortable win over Calabar, who were second with 229.25, and JC, third with 207 points, things could be much different in this year’s meet.

Despite losing to KC by 86 points last year, JC’s athletes have shown vast improvement this season and will definitely pose a real strong challenge to the defending champions.

After last year’s second-place finish, Calabar were hoping to go one place better in 2026 but suffered some body blows due to the migration of several of their top athletes, putting a damper on their title chances. With the departure of head coach Corey Bennett to Jamaica College, several athletes, including outstanding hurdler Robert Miller and sprinter Junior Gallimore, followed Bennett to Hydel High, with others going elsewhere. This has certainly severely weakened their chances of challenging for the title.

KC and JC have both showed great depth at the various development meets across the island. Despite beating their rivals at the Corporate Area Championships, KC did so largely through their strong Class Four unit. With those point subtracted, the teams are virtually even.

Also at the Gibson McCook Relays, KC won more relays than their rivals, but most victories came in the 4x200m which is not contested at Champs.

In a bid to get back on top, JC, who last won the title in 2021, have strengthened their coaching staff with the addition of Bennett and former World 400m champion Bertland Cameron.

A look across the various classes shows things are very even between the two teams, and the championships could come down to the final event, the 4x400m, with the title going to the team that makes the fewest mistakes.

Normally, the team that scores the most points in Class One and the Open events comes out on top, and it is close in those areas. KC are projected to score 95 points in Class One, just ahead of Jamaica College on 91. In the Open events, JC are favoured to score 52 points, 10 more than KC’s projected 42.

Classes Two and Three could also be very pivotal. KC hold a slight edge in Class Two with a projected 76 points to JC’s 67, while in Class Three JC are predicted to score 84 points, 10 ahead of KC’s 74.

On Saturday’s final day of the prestigious meet, JC are tipped to end with 294 points, seven more than the defending champions’ 287. It is indeed very close and could go either way.