STATEN ISLAND, New York: A few of Jamaica’s main junior athletes are set to expertise indoor competitors for the primary time on the inaugural New York Worldwide Showcase, starting on Friday on the Ocean Breeze Athletic Complicated. The 2-day meet goals to ascertain itself as a premier highschool indoor observe and area occasion.
Athletes from Jamaica will compete towards counterparts from the US, Australia, Canada, The Bahamas, Haiti, Belize and Trinidad and Tobago. The meet will characteristic occasions in sprints, hurdles, distance races, relays, jumps, and throws.
The occasion is the brainchild of Jamaican Olympian Sanjay Ayre, who additionally organizes the East Coast Worldwide Showcase.
Ayre expressed optimism forward of the debut, saying, “Every part is in place, and we’re very optimistic in regards to the occasion. This can be a dream come true for me, and I’m excited to offer these athletes a chance to showcase their expertise.”
Jamaica might be represented by athletes from colleges together with Hydel Excessive, Calabar Excessive, Excelsior Excessive, St Catherine Excessive, and Muschett Excessive. Amongst them is Muschett Excessive’s Shanoya Douglas, a bronze medalist within the 200m on the 2024 World Athletics U20 Championships. She is ready for high-profile clashes with Trinidad and Tobago sprinter Lisa Raye within the 60m and 200m occasions.
Raye set two new nationwide Beneath-20 indoor data on the VA Showcase meet in Virginia, USA, on Sunday.
The West Warwick senior delivered flawless performances throughout all three rounds, clocking 7.26 seconds within the 60m last and 23.39 seconds within the 200m last to carry off robust competitors.
Raye now sits No. 1 within the nation within the 60m and No. 2 within the 200m, simply .13 seconds out of the lead.
Douglas, 17, stays undaunted by the competitors or the chilly New York climate, drawing on her expertise in comparable circumstances on the Lima U20 Championships final 12 months. “I really like fierce competitors as a result of it pushes me,” mentioned Douglas, whose private greatest within the 200m stands at 22.59 seconds.”Lima taught me the way to carry out in any climate circumstances as a result of it was similar to right here – chilly and difficult,” she added. “I realized the way to gown appropriately, heat up successfully, and preserve my muscular tissues energetic.”
The indoor 200m observe, with its two curves in comparison with the only bend of an outside observe, poses no concern for Douglas. Regardless of stumbling throughout apply on the curve, she stays assured, describing the tighter indoor bends as one among her strengths within the 200m.
Two members of the Calabar staff pictured throughout a apply session on the Ocean Breeze Athletic Complicated.
Hydel Excessive and Calabar Excessive, each coached by Corey Bennett, will every area 4 athletes on the meet. Representing Hydel are Abigail Campbell, Jamaica’s reigning highschool 400m champion and a World Beneath-20 silver and bronze medallist, together with Natassia Fletcher, Sashana Johnson, and Sabrina Atkinson.
Calabar’s contingent is led by Nickecoy Bramwell, who made headlines on the 51st Carifta Video games in Grenada final 12 months by breaking Usain Bolt’s long-standing Beneath-17 400m file. Bramwell clocked a formidable 47.26 seconds, surpassing Bolt’s 2002 mark of 47.33. He might be joined by teammates Shaquane Gordon, Keano Charles, and Jamal Stephenson.
Excelsior Excessive boasts the most important Jamaican contingent on the meet, with 5 athletes set to compete: Ryeem Walker, Kishawn Hoffman, Daniel Wright, Demarco Bennett, and Ricardo Carr.
Ayre highlighted the importance of the meet, noting that it bridges gaps in worldwide competitors for highschool athletes who in any other case face restricted alternatives to compete abroad.
“For a very long time right here in the US, athletes have simply been competing towards one another all 12 months spherical. It is the identical factor with Jamaica, they usually don’t get the chance to journey abroad and compete towards their counterparts until they’re racing for his or her nationwide staff,” Ayre defined. “With my occasion, we’re giving the children added alternatives to run in a showcase the place high universities might be scouting them and offering worldwide alternatives to allow them to be seen by a broad spectrum of observe and area followers.”
The primary day of competitors is scheduled to start at 4:00 pm.
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