Ryon Jones, Staff Reporter

At this time of the year, the ISSA/Grace-Kennedy Boys and Girls' Championships has the attention of the entire country and even artistes are enthralled by the spectacle. The entertainment value of Champs is unrivalled.

But on Tuesday - only the first day of Champs, not many persons turned out at the National Stadium to watch the action, which was confined to an afternoon session.

Only eight events were contested and the handful of Champs supporters, and moreso track and field faithfuls, could be found scattered throughout the grandstand.

It was not a party-like atmosphere, as the penultimate and final days of the championship tend to be, but among the persons who wanted to witness it all from the very first event was recording artiste D Major.

"I did athletics for a very short period, but I am an avid track fan, so you will see me at most of the track meets," D Major, who was born Damian Coldin, said.

"I made sure I did what I had to do in the studio from early and then I came out.

"As long as l don't have any engagements I will always be here supporting the youths and the future Usains (Bolt) and Yohans (Blake)."

D Major's love for the sport goes beyond that of a mere spectator, as if he was not making tracks, he would have loved to be on the track himself.

Calabar looking good

"Right now, if the Almighty comes to me and says, 'D Major mi a go withdraw yu singing talent. Which one (talent) you want to trade it for?, it will definitely be track and field," Major revealed.

"I would want to do the 200 metres or the 400 metres, because the 100 metres is already saturated. I would want to be the Usain Bolt of the 400 metres."

D Major attended Calabar, the defending boys' champions, where he briefly experimented with the sport, but did not exercise the commitment needed.

"At the time, I was running up and down at Half-Way Tree game shops and things like that, so I didn't really have the time to settle and really train and put out the dedication, but I still love the sport," D Major shared.

D Major is expecting his alma mater to retain the Mortimer Geddes trophy.

"They (Calabar) are looking very good, but this is Champs [so you have] to be realistic," Major reasoned.

"But if everything goes well, they should definitely retain the title, so I am here to support."

D Major's biggest hit to date, Real Friends, featuring Agent Sasco (formerly Assassin) and Christopher Martin, gained international popularity after the world's fastest man, Bolt, revealed that he had listened to the song prior to going out and running the then world record time of 9.69 seconds to claim gold in the 100m at the Beijing Olympics.

"That was the song he chose to listen to before he went and broke the first world records and that did a lot for the song," D Major stated.

The next major thing for the artiste is the release of his debut album tentatively titled It's Major.

"We are going to be dropping some teaser singles and videos leading up to it, but the album will be out before the summer. It is already done and I am really excited."

ryon.jones@gleanerjm.com