Spotlight on Gibson McCook Relays

AFTER a year’s absence due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the region’s biggest relay carnival, the Gibson McCook Relays, returns today to the National Stadium for its 45th staging.

The relays are back with a new format. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has forced the organisers to have a truncated meet. The usual all-day meet has been cut to just over four hours duration. Action in the 32-event meet starts at 1 p.m. and ends at 5:05 p.m. and will see straight finals only.

Chairman of the Gibson McCook Relays Committee, Professor Rainford Wilks, is happy for the return of the meet despite having several concerns. “The 45th staging of the Gibson McCook Relays in its 50th year of existence has faced significant challenges. The COVID-19 pandemic and Jamaica’s extremely low vaccination have together created major challenges to the organisers. There is no doubt that the patrons are anxious to resume the enjoyment of the sport which has seen the results of greatest international success,” he stated. The organisers have been given the go-ahead to have 10,000 vaccinated spectators at the meet.

Fans will not want to miss the opening event, Class One 4x100 metres for high school girls. In this event, Edwin Allen High’s quartet of Serena Cole, Brandy Hall and twins Tia and Tina Clayton look set to rewrite the history books as they could become the fastest high school female sprint relay team in history. The Gibson Relays record of 44.48 seconds set by St Jago in 2014 should go easily as they take aim at the high school record of 43.62 seconds set by Edwin Allen High at the Penn Relays in 2019. Cole and the Clayton twins were members of that team. They warmed up at the Western Relays with a relaxed 44.31 seconds and with the likes of the Brianna Lyston-led Hydel High, St Catherine High and St Jago High set to give them some early competition, a sub-43 seconds time could be on the cards. The Clayton twins and Cole were members of the country’s Junior World record setting team which clocked 42.94 seconds in Nairobi, Kenya, last summer.

Overall, it should be a good day for the team from Frankfield, Clarendon. The same Class One quartet should erase Hydel’s 4x200m Open record of one minute 33.82 seconds set in 2017. Also, the Jessica McLean-led quartet should break their own 4x800m record of eight minutes 46.40 seconds set in 2018.

Hydel are also set to do well. Their Class Two girls’ sprint relay which includes Kerrica Hill, a member of the world record breaking team in Nairobi, and Alana Reid, could go sub-44 seconds and join Edwin Allen as the only schools to go under 44 seconds in the sprint relay. The school could also pick up wins in the Class Three 4x100m and the very competitive 4x400m event.

On the boys’ side, Jamaica College (JC) are set to halt Kingston College’s (KC) dominance at the meet. The North Street-based KC won five of 11 boys’ events in 2020. The JC quartet of J’Voughan Blake, Handal Roban, Kemario Bygrave and Tyrone Lawson should repel the challenge of Kingston College in the Open 4x800m as they take dead aim at Calabar High’s 2020 record of 7:29.04. Their Class Two 4x100m quartet led by Mark Anthony Miller should also win easily as they are the only team to have gone sub- 42 seconds this season.

In what is expected to be a close affair in the Open 4x400m for boys, the Old Hope Road-base JC team should win and end the meet on a high and in the process foil KC’s bid to make it five wins in a row in the event.

This year is a very important one for seniors, as the Commonwealth Games and World Championships are set for this summer and there should be fireworks among these athletes with the Maurice Wilson-coached SprinTec Track Club leading the way. Clashes between SprinTec and Racers Track Club in both the men’s 4x100m and 4x400m relays should have the fans on their feet. The SprinTec 4x100m quartet which includes the likes of Demish Gaye, Oshane Bailey and Rasheed Dwyer will be hoping to go all the way but will have to contain the likes of Zharnel Hughes and Oblique Seville from Racers.

Among the females, MVP Track Club, who will have Olympic 100 metres bronze medallist Shericka Jackson on their team, will have to work overtime if they are to deny SprinTec. The SprinTec team is led by the in-form Remona Burchell and Shashalee Forbes.

ORDER OF EVENTS

FINALS

1:00 p.m. 4 x 100m High School Girls Class I – Championship

1:00 p.m. Long Jump – Women’s Open

1:00 p.m. High Jump – Men’s Open

1:08 p.m. 4 x 100m High School Girls’ Class II – Championship

1:14 p.m. 4 x 100m High School Girls’ Class III

1:20 p.m. 4 x 100m High School Girls’ Class IV

1:26 p.m. 4 x 100m Institution Women

1:32 p.m. 4 x 100m Institution Men – Championship

1:38 p.m. 4 x 100m High School Boys’ Class I Championship

1:44 p.m. 4 x 100m High School Boys’ Class II Championship

1:50 p.m. 4 x 100m High School Boys’ Class III

1:56 p.m. 4 x 100m High School Boys’ Class IV

2:02 p.m. 4 x 100m Masters Men

2:15 p.m. NATIONAL ANTHEM

INVOCATION

ENTERTAINMENT

2:45 p.m. 100m – Women’s Open

2:50 p.m. 100m – Men’s Open

2:50 p.m. High Jump – Women’s Open

2:50 p.m. Long Jump – Men’s Open

2:55 p.m. 400m – Women’s Open

3:00 p.m. 400m – Men’s Open

3:05 p.m. Sprint Medley Clubs & Institutions Men

3:15 p.m. Sprint Medley High Sch. Girls’ Open- Championship

3:25 p.m. Sprint Medley High Sch. Boys’ Open-Championship

3:35 p.m. 4 x 200m High School Girls’ Open – Championship

3:43 p.m. 4 x 200m High School Boys’ Class I – Championship

3:51 p.m. 4 x 200 High School Boys’ Class II – Championship

3:59 p.m. 4 x 200m High School Boys’ Class III

4:07 p.m. 4 x 800m High School Girls’ Open – Championship

4:22 p.m. 4 x 800 High School Boys’ Open – Championship

4:35 p.m. 4 x 400m Institution Women

4:45 p.m. 4 x 400m Institution Men – Championship

4:55 p.m. 4 x 400m High School Girls’ Open – Championship

5:05 p.m. 4 x 400m High School Boys’ Open – Championship