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Gibson-McCook Relays to celebrate 50 years

Published:Sunday | January 22, 2023 | 2:10 AMRaymond Graham - Gleaner Writer
Jamaica College’s 4X800-metre relay team celebrates a record-breaking run at last year’s Gibson McCook Relays held at the National Stadium.
Gladstone Taylor
Jamaica College’s 4X800-metre relay team celebrates a record-breaking run at last year’s Gibson McCook Relays held at the National Stadium.

ONE OF the most popular and longest-running relay meets on the local track and field calendar is the Gibson-McCook Relays. And this year’s staging, set for Saturday February 25, will be a very special one, as the meet which began in 1973, will be celebrating its 50th anniversary.

Chairman of the organising committee, Professor Rainford Wilks, who took over the top job since the passing of the late Neville ‘Teddy’ McCook, is very upbeat about this year’s staging.

“This year will be a special one for the Gibson McCook Relays and we are at the peak of our planning as we are really looking forward to this one,” said Wilks.

The celebrations, Wilks explained, will run for a week before the actual relays. On February 19, there will be a church service to be followed two days’ later, February 21, by the Howard Aris Memorial Lecture and end with an awards dinner and banquet on Thursday, February 23, two days before the meet.

Last year, the meet was slimmed down to four hours on account of COVID-19, and the National Stadium only allowed 10,000 vaccinated fans. This year, things go back to normal with the preliminary round of events slated for the morning and finals to be run in the afternoon.

EXCEPTIONAL ORGANISATION

A prelude to the ISSA/Gracekennedy Boys and Girls’ Athletics Championships, the meet which was originally named in memory of Bishop Percival William Gibson, founder and legendary headmaster of Kingston College, is noted for its exceptional organisation.

Last year, Edwin Allen High School’s girls were dominant, winning four relays, including the Class One 4x100 metres, with the quartet of Serena Cole, Brandy Hall, and Tia and Tina Clayton. That quartet lowered the Gibson record to 43.37 seconds, erasing the 2014 mark of 44.84 set by St Jago High School.

The Frankfield team went on to win the Class Four 4x100 metres, 4x200m and the 4x800m Open relays.

Among the boys, Jamaica College stole the show with J’Voughnn Blake anchoring their 4x800m team to a record 7 minutes 24.30 seconds.