Champs rivals hit recruiting overdrive

THE 2020 ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys and Girls’ Athletics Championships might still be a couple of months away, but there is already great anticipation around this year’s staging.

This after a few of the top schools bolstered their ranks ahead of the new campaign with new faces following aggressive recruiting both locally and internationally.

Three years ago, Kingston College went all the way to Africa with Ugandan Ari Rodgers brought into the school to shore up its middle-distance programme.

Come this season, the North Street-based institution, which dethroned Calabar High to win the Mortimer Geddes trophy last year, has once again gone that route, as two more athletes from the continent will join Rodgers at Champs, with Aaron Chepkiza of Kenya and Rwotimiya Emmanuel Oyet also from Uganda, set to suit up for the ‘Purples’.

Chepkiza, like Rodgers, will compete in the middle-distance events, while Emmanuel Oyet will add more firepower to an already strong Class Two sprinting team.

The defending champions will be spoilt for riches in the middle and long-distance events with Kirk Dawkins now eligible to compete after sitting out a year, as per ISSA rules.

Meanwhile, former St Catherine High school quarter-miler, Tyrece Grant, who finished fourth in the Class One 400m at Champs last year, will also compete immediately for the defending champions after transferring to their sixth form programme.

After consistently finishing in third place in recent years, Jamaica College (JC) have gone on an extensive recruiting drive of their own, as they look to challenge for top honours with former Kingston College head coach Neil Harrison now in his second season in charge at the Old Hope Road-based institution.

JC leading

The ‘Dark Blues’ seem to have won the recruiting “war” this time around, with a number of the region’s more promising athletes now in attendance.

The St Vincent and Grenadines middle-distance duo of Handel Roban, who defeated the Jamaican duo of J’Vaughon Blake and Giovani Henry to win the Boys Under-17 800m at the Carifta Games in 2018 along with Uroy Ryan will lead the way for JC.

Andre Bent, formerly of William Knibb and Zidane Brown the one-time Glenmuir High quarter-miler, will also compete for JC this campaign.

Two years ago, Bent finished fifth in the Class Two 200m, while Brown was third in both the 200m and 400m.

Things were not as busy at Red Hills Road, but Calabar can now count on former St Elizabeth Technical sprinter, Tyrone Barnes, after his mandatory sit out last year.

After his outstanding performances for Enid Bennet High in the 800m last year, Tyriece Taylor was expected to return this year for another grand performance in the two-lap event. This will not happen as he was transferred to Vere Technical’s fifth form, which makes him ineligible to compete at the Championships this year.

Unlike the boys, things were relatively quiet among the Girls programmes.

Former champions St Jago High were the most active, after snapping up long and high jumper, Shauntae Foreman from Excelsior High, who will defend both titles in Class Two in the colours of the Spanish Town-based team, after moving to its Sixth Form in September.

Meanwhile, after winning the Class One shot put and finishing third in the discus last year, Marie Forbes was expected to take the double for Vere Technical, but will instead look to do so for Oberlin High School after transferring to the school’s sixth form, following her high school coach, who is now teaching at that institution.

Gabrielle Matthews, who sat out last year’s championships after her move to The Queen’s School, is now ready to feature and will be looking to match her performances for Hydel two years ago, when she won the Class Three 80m hurdles and 200m, beating the likes of Edwin Allen High’s Tina Clayton in the latter.