Edwin Allen’s Cole set to shine at Pure Water/JC meet

The build-up for the March 28-April 1 GraceKennedy/ISSA Boys and Girls’ Athletics Championships continues today with the staging of two JAAA’s development meets starting at 8:30 a.m.

At the Ashenheim Stadium, Jamaica College, the 29th staging of the Pure Water/JC/R. Danny Williams meet will hold the spotlight, while at the Courtney Walsh Oval, Excelsior will be hosting the fourth staging of the Ted Dwyer Classics and Pentathlon Challenge .

Edwin Allen High and Kingston College (KC), the respective defending champions at ‘Champs’, will lead the teams in action at JC. St Jago High, Immaculate Conception and Wolmer’s Girls will be the other top female teams in action, while Calabar High, St Jago, St Elizabeth Technical, and hosts JC are the top-male teams.

Most attention at the Ashenheim Stadium will be focused on Edwin Allen’s Serena Cole. She will contest the Class One 100 metres and long jump events. Following her exploits at last summer’s World Under 20 Championships in Cali, Colombia where she took silver in the 100m and was a member of the World record 4x100m team, Cole will be hoping to send an early and strong message to her rivals.

The 18-year-old will be the flag-bearer for the Frankfield, Clarendon-based school this season following the departure of teammates Tia and Tina Clayton. The Clayton twins decided to forego their final year of eligibility in Class One to sign professional contracts and are now members of the local-based MVP Track Club.

Cole will be joined by teammate Terriann Forbes in both the 100m and long jump. Immaculate Conception’s Onanda Lowe and Wolmer’s High School for Girls’ Mickayla Gardener will also compete in the long jump.

Camperdown High twins Brittanie and Brittania Johnson should continue from where they left off last season when they contested the Class One shot put.

Calabar’s throwers Kobe Lawrence and Delano Lawrence will take on JC’s Josh Brown in the Class One boys discus.

On the track, St Jago’s Andrew Harris and Malique Graham of Wolmer’s will clash in the Class One 110m hurdles, while JC’s Hector Benjamin and Christopher Scott, along with KC’s Adrian Kerr in Class One 100m should highlight some of the performances on the day. KC’s Ethan Gioko, Brian Kiprop and Jaquan Coke will battle with JC’s Tyrone Lawson in the Class One 1500m and 5000m Open

The Ted Dwyer Classics at Excelsior is staged in honour of a founding member and former principal of Exed Community College.

Girls events will include 200m, 800m, shot put, long jump and javelin throw, while the boys will compete in the 400m, 1500m, shot put, long jump and pole vault.