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Having become a staple in the track and field calendar for Jamaica’s junior athletes, the McKenley/Wint Track and Field Classics promises a schedule filled with top athletes in its 10th staging today at the Calabar High School.
With its inaugural meet in 2016 to christen the opening of the synthetic track at Calabar, the event’s organiser Andrea Hardware said it is a major achievement for the meet to have reached this milestone.
The McKenley/Wint Classics is named in honour Herbert McKenley and Arthur Wint, two of Calabar’s alumni who made significant contributions to Jamaica’s athletics.
“It is really of significant importance for us,” she stated. “When you have a rich history in track and field like at Calabar High School, it is only the right thing to do that we pool our collective energies and resources together to host such a meet.
“It’s not just about the high school but it is being held in honour of Herb McKenley and Arthur Wint. It is more than just a track meet,” she affirmed.
Hardware said fans will be kept entertained throughout the schedule as the meet continues to attract top athletes each year.
“Fans should really come out because it is going to be a very competitive meet,” the meet organiser promised.
“We have registered athletes from basically all of the top schools, so it is going to be very competitive. Coaches across the island like to come out and to compete at the event because of the level of competition it affords,” she continued.
HIGHLY ANTICIPATED DEBUT
One of the event’s headliners will be Calabar’s Nickecoy Bramwell who will be making his highly anticipated debut in Class One when he lines up in the 400m event.
Bramwell, despite struggling with injuries last year, took home the silver medal in the Class Two 400m final as well as breaking Usain Bolt’s Carifta Games under-17 400m record with a new time of 47.27 seconds.
Also scheduled for the event is Class Two 400m hurdles silver medallist Robert Miller of Calabar and Class Two 400m bronze medallist Jabari Matheson of William Knibb High.
Tavaine Stewart of Herbert Morrison Technical and Johan-Ramaldo Smythe of Muschett High are also expected to grab headlines when they meet in the Class One 100m.
Stewart was last year’s Class Two bronze medallist with a time of 10.55, edging out Smythe who finished fourth in 10.56.
Heading the girls’ events will be Lacovia High’s Sabrina Dockery who is scheduled to compete in the Class One 100m and 400m events.
Dockery, last year’s Class Two 100m silver medallist, had opened her season at the Purewater/R. Danny Williams/JC Development Meet earlier this month with times of 11.39 and 56.41 in the 100m and 400m respectively.
Muschett’s Shanoya Douglas will also be completing the 100m and 400m double at the meet as she will look to continue her fine run of form this year against her opponents in Class Two.
Reigning girls’ Class One long jump champion Rohanna Sudlow of St Catherine is also set to open her long jump season as she is scheduled to take part in the event.
The McKenley/Wint Classics is set to begin at 8:30 a.m.
English (US) ·