JC middle distance power on display

The Jamaica College (JC) Invitational ended on Saturday evening with a display of middle distance prowess by the host school. Handal Robban led a solid team showing in the 1500m as proof positive that JC will go fast as the 2022 season unfolds. Robban was particularly impressive in the Class One event.

Robban, a Vincentian who reached the 2021 World Under-20 Championships 800m semi-finals in Nairobi last August, timed his run beautifully to win in 3:56.78 minutes with his team captain J'Voughnn Blake emerging from traffic to be the runner-up in 3:57.70 minutes.

Omarion Davis, who recovered from a dramatic fall in the 2021 ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys and Girls' Athletics Championships (Champs) medley relay to give JC vital points, dominated his heat in 4:06.70 with Kemario Bygrave, the 2021 Class 2 800m winner, producing a determined effort of 4:05.62 minutes to capture his section.

With motor vehicle trouble preventing the participation of a Edwin Allen High School squad that was to include World Under-20 100m champion Tina Clayton, the fastest time in the Class One Girls 100m was 11.92 seconds by Hydel's Brianna Lyston, who cruised from the 60m point onward.

However, even with Edwin Allen absent, there were contests worth watching.

Olympian Simoya Campbell-Johnson continued her comeback from injury and knee surgery with a 4:48.35 minute journey over 1500m and Hydel High's Malaya Duncan and Rihanna Anderson of St Jago High were neck and neck in the Class Four 70m hurdles and in 11.22 seconds into a 1.8m per second head wind.

Despite a persistent opposing breeze, Essence Burbridge of Immaculate Conception High School produced an eye-catching time of 14.29 seconds in the Class One 100m hurdles with reigning Champs gold medallist Oneka Wilson of Hydel doing speed-work with a win in a heat of the 100m.

The Class One Boys 110m hurdles featured a nifty performance from former Class Three champion Jahvel Granville, who finished in 14.07 seconds. Equally impressive was Shamar Blake of STETHS, who waltzed the fastest Class One 400m hurdles run of the meet in 53.52 seconds.

U-Roy Ryan put JC's renowned horizontal jump power on display with an effort of 7.23m in the Class One long jump and that got him the gold medal on home soil.

The best field event performance of the day may well have come from Kobe Lawrence of Calabar High. Lawrence, a finalist for Jamaica in Nairobi, blasted the Class One shot put 18.66m in a series that included a modest 15.45m and four fouls.

Meet director Ian Forbes said his organising committee had learnt much from staging last year during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"I think it has raised the level of professionalism and awareness and competence of our officials," he said. "We have had a good template which has been tweaked from time to time depending on the prevailing conditions. It's just a matter of updating and executing and I think we would have learnt a lot which we've transferred to the start of this year."