By Kayon Raynor
The evidence presented on Friday's penultimate day of the 103rd staging of the ISSA GraceKennedy Boys' and Girls' Athletics Championships suggests that Jamaica’s continued success in the sport globally will not wane in the near future.
This is especially so in the sprints and hurdles.
With 12-year-old Kimone Shaw of St. Jago High School blazing to 11.75 seconds and 14-year-old Nathaniel Matherson of Kingston College clocking 10.86 to win a day after posting a national age group record of 10.85, it suggests that Jamaica’s conveyor belt is continuing to produce potential world beaters.
19-year-old Omar McLeod's national junior records of 13.42 and 49.98 seconds, in the 110 & 400 metres hurdle events respectively, also indicates that the legacy set by Olympic and World Championship medallists Winthrop Graham, Danny MacFarlane, Hansle Parchment, Deon Hemming, Brigitte Foster-Hylton, Delloreen Ennis, and Melaine Walker is in safe hands.
One only needs to throw back to the results of the last two decades at Champs, then examine Jamaica’s success in global Athletics (Olympics & World championships) to see similar names reaping success.
Usain Bolt, Veronica Campbell-Brown, Yohan Blake, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, to name a few, also reaped success at Boys' and Girls' Champs.
So as one who thumbs through the pages of Jamaica’s athletics history books, I slept easy last night with the knowledge that this island nation is guaranteed global
future success in the sport.