The wait is over! The highly prestigious Penn Relays Carnival is back after a two-year break due to the novel coronavirus, COVID-19 pandemic and a number of Jamaican high schools and tertiary institutions have arrived in Philadelphia for the eagerly-anticipated three-day festival.
It is set to start at Franklyn Field on Thursday with Jamaican interest in girls’ action, with a reported 26 Jamaican high schools and five tertiary institutions participating in conditions that are expected to be cool.
Edwin Allen High and Holmwood Technical are defending champions with Jamaican interests in the preliminaries of the 4x100m, 4x400m and 4x800m relays, as well as field events such as long, triple and high jumps, along with shot put, discus and javelin.
A total of 11 Jamaican high schools will contest the 4x100m relays with the nine fastest qualifiers advancing to the Championships of Americas final on Friday.
The other nine fastest international teams will contest the international final.
The Jamaican teams for the 4x100m relays are Edwin Allen, Holmwood Technical, Hydel High, Immaculate Conception, William Knibb Memorial, Petersfield High, The Queen’s School, St Catherine, St Elizabeth Technical High School (STETHS), St Jago High and Vere Technical High School.
The form line thus far this year indicates that Edwin Allen and Hydel should start favourites for this event.
Defending champions Edwin Allen have run 43.28secs to win the Class One event at the ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys’ and Girls’ Championships a few weeks ago.
The Michael Dyke-coached Edwin Allen High will feature three athletes who were members of the Penne Relays record 43.62secs when the event was last held in 2019.
The Clayton twins of Tina and Tia, as well as Serena Cole, who were three-quarters of Jamaica’s outstanding Under-20 World Record-breaking team at the recent Carifta Games in Jamaica are expected to be joined by Brandi Hall, a member of the Champs record-setting team.
Holmwood won the 4x400m relay in 2019 but will be absent this year clearing the way for new champions to be crowned.
Of the 10 Jamaican teams set to compete at the Penn Relays, the team best equipped to claim top honours is Hydel, who ran 3:35.38 minutes at Boys’ and Girls’ Championships, thanks to a super anchor leg run by Brianna Lyston.
Hydel are no strangers to winning this event, having done so back-to-back in 2917 and 2018.
The Jamaican teams set to compete are St Jago, Petersfield High, Bellefield, Excelsior High, Edwin Allen High, Vere Technical, Alphansus Davis, St Catherine, The Queen’s School, and Hydel High.
In the 4x800m only defending champions Edwin Allen and Holmwood Technical are down to compete from Jamaica.
And in the individual events down for decision today, Annishka McDonald of St Jago who won the Carifta Games Under-20 high jump is the top-ranked athlete in the event and will be accompanied by compatriot Toriann Caven, the Girls’ Champs Class Two winner.
The long jump has Edwin Allen Cole, who is ranked number two, as well as number three ranked Kay-Lagay Clarke of St Jago. Chloe Palmer of Vere Technical is also a contender in the long jump.
The triple jump will feature three Jamaicans – Tawani Murray of Petersfield High, as well as Rhianna Lugg and Jade-Ann Smith of Excelsior High School.
For the shot put event, Camperdown High’s Britannia Johnson is ranked number three and will have company in the form of Tafada Wright and Jamora Alves of St Jago, Marsha McKoy of Petersfield and Immaculate Conception Juliet Smith.
Holmwood Tech’s Cedricka Williams, who won the Carifta Games Under-20 gold, is a prime contender in the discus.
However, she will have competition from Camperdown’s Johnson and Victoria Christie, Maja Henry of Immaculate, St Jago’s Abigail Martin and Zavien Bowen of Petersfield High School.
For the javelin throw, Natalie Albert of ST Catherine High will be the lone competitor.
The boys bow into action on Friday with the girls’ relay finals being contested on the same day.
See the full Penn Relays 2022 Schedule Here
