Murphy ready for 100m return

Raymond Graham, Gleaner Writer

Track and field fans will be in for another treat today at the University of the West Indies Usain Bolt track, which will once again be in the spotlight following last weekend's staging of the Queen's/Grace Jackson Invitational.

The new facility will have its second competitive meet as the very popular Youngster Goldsmith Classics will get under way this morning at 8:00 with the running of the 2000 metres steeplechase for females.

Following an excellent opening in the high school boys' Class One 200 metres last weekend at the Queen's/Grace Jackson meet, where he clocked 21.67 seconds in a negative headwind of 2.4 metres per second (mps), outstanding Bridegport High School sprinter Jahzeel Murphy will compete in his first 100 metres since winning the Under-17 event at the Carifta Games in St Lucia in 2009.

"This is his first 100 metres in over a year and I am pretty confident that he will continue his excellent work as I think he has now overcome his injury, which had forced him him out of competition for the past year," said his coach, Carl Page.

Steeplechase

Meanwhile, the steeplechase, which will also see action among the boys, will see high school athletes competing for the first time as they seek to ensure good times going into Boys and Girls' Championships, where the event will be contested for the first time this year.

All the hurdles and field events which will be contested at Champs, along with the 100 metres, 400m and 1500m, are down to be contested today, and following some good performances at the Central Hurdles and Relay meet and the Big Shot throwing meet - where several records were broken - another high level of competition is expected today.

There will also be two relay events - the Swedish and sprint medley. The Swedish relay, which has been contested at the World Youth Championships, will have athletes running 100mx200mx300mx400m, respectively. The sprint medley is the one regularly practised in the order of 400mx200mx200m and 800m.

After accounting for five of 12 records at the Central Hurdles and Relay Champion-ships at G.C. Foster College last month, another great performance from the hurdlers are expected.

Topping the bill will be the Class 100 metres for girls as the multi-talented Janeive Russell of Holmwood, along with teammate Osheen Erskine, will lead the charge, with World Youth Olympic finalist Megan Simmonds of St Andrew High, St Jago's Chrisdale McCarthy and Alpha Academy's Tatiana Wolfe all expected to serve up a battle royal.