King of the Ring return welcomed
Published:Wednesday | March 2, 2022 | 12:08 AMKavarly Arnold/Gleaner Writer
Western Bureau:
TRACK AND FIELD stakeholders are excited to have seen the return of the King of the Ring throws meet last Saturday after a two-years hiatus, believing it bodes well for Jamaica’s continued development in field event.
The 16-year-old meet, held at the Excelsior High School, was cancelled last year due to the pandemic and was also postponed earlier this month after Jamaica found itself grappling with a fourth wave of the coronavirus.
Michael Vassell, meet organiser, said while hosting the meet had its challenges, he was delighted and grateful to give athletes and fellow coaches the opportunity to fine-tune before the Inter-Secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA) Boys and Girls’ Athletics Championships.
“I was extremely happy with the meet and all the performances because with all the protocols involved, it is extremely difficult. I got support from GraceKennedy Remittance Services, Sports Development Foundation (SDF) and JAAA (Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association) which made it possible,” Vassell said.
“I think the coaches were glad. It is where we see the best of the best come out and really test themselves. It is really an important meet for the throws coaches and athletes,” he added.
Coach of Reckless Control, home to some of the country’s top throwers in Fedrick Dacres, Traves Smikles and Shadae Lawrence, Julian Robinson, expressed his delight in seeing the return of the meet.
“I am very delighted that the meet has returned. This meet and Big Shot have been important to the development of throws in Jamaica. When it comes to a meet like this, generally, the throwers feel special. The conditions are also good for throwing. Usually at this meet, most of the teams in Jamaica turn up, so the energy is good for the throwers,” Robinson said.
THROWS IMPROVING
“Even though I have not done a statistical study, generally, I would say that the throws have been improving in Jamaica over the last couple of years. Events like these sustain the trajectory of the throws,” he added.
World Athletics Championships silver medallist Fedrick Dacres commended Vassell and is happy to see throwers being shown some love with the return of the meet.
“It’s really nice because this is for throwers, so we really appreciate it. We normally get good throws here, as the environment is just good for throwing. Sir V (Vassell) always gets it right,” Dacres said.
“It’s (throws in Jamaica) getting better. Once we keep putting in some good throws, youngsters are going to be inspired to throw as well. It’s meets like this that make it possible, so we have to appreciate it for what it is,” he added.
Olympic discus finalist Shadae Lawrence believes specialised meets like King of the Ring play a huge role in the development of this area of track and field.
“I wasn’t here for the last seven years but when I was here in high school, King of the Ring was a huge meet for throwers. To see it back where we can have all the throwers together is really good for throws. Definitely, meets like this help the throws. It’s good to see the throws evolving in Jamaica and more youngsters wanting to throw,” Lawrence said.