Edwin Allen’s Tina Clayton to compete at JC tomorrow

Local track and field action is expected to resume tomorrow at three venues after last weekend’s meets were postponed. The Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association has sought a permit from the Government, through the Ministry of Sport and the Ministry of Local Government & Rural Development, to host a series of development meets to give junior and senior athletes much-needed competition. The JAAA/Puma Development Series Week One meets will be held at Jamaica College (JC), Calabar High and Excelsior High. All three meets will start at 8:30 a.m.

After missing the Purewater/R. Danny Williams Invitational at JC two weeks ago because of internal issues, nine-times ISSA Girls’ champions Edwin Allen High will make their belated entry to the 2022 season. As many as 70 athletes from the Frankfield-based school will be in action across the three venues.

The spotlight will be on the Michael Dyke-coached team at JC, where the defending World Under-20 100 metres champion, Tina Clayton, will grace the track competitively for the first time since her success last summer in Nairobi, Kenya where she blazed to a personal-best 11.09 seconds to take gold. The 17 year-old Clayton, who also anchored the Jamaica 4x100m team to a win and a World Junior Record 42.94 seconds, will be contesting the 200 metres tomorrow. “It is a long season and there is no reason to rush Tina so early, as there are big plans for her in 2022,” said coach Dyke. Clayton will be defending her 100m title in Cali, Colombia in August, and coach Dyke is eyeing a spot for his young charge on the senior team to compete at the World Championships in Eugene, Oregon in late July. All three meets will have two sessions, with the females down to compete first at JC between 8:30 a.m and noon. Males will compete between 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. after full sanitisation has taken place between sessions. Events down to be contested at JC are 200m, 400m, 3000m and 5000m.

At Calabar, males will compete first and the events down to take place will be 100m, 70m hurdles, 80m hurdles, 100m hurdles, 110m hurdles and 400m hurdles.

At Excelsior’s field events, only meet females will be in action first. The events are shot put, triple jump, high jump, discus throw, long jump, and javelin throw.

Strict COVID-19 protocols will be in place at the meet venues. Athletes, coaches, and team officials who are planning to be in attendance at the series of meets must sign a COVID-19 waiver. Athletes under 18 must submit a waiver signed by their parents or guardians.