Harrison comforted by JC’s Gibson McCook spirited act

March 01, 2023
Members of the Jamaica College team which won the 4x800 metres Open at last Saturday’s Gibson McCook Relays. From left: Tyrone Lawson, Kemmario Bygrave, Rasheed Pryce and Nicholas Power.  The quartet won in seven minutes 40.78 seconds.
Members of the Jamaica College team which won the 4x800 metres Open at last Saturday’s Gibson McCook Relays. From left: Tyrone Lawson, Kemmario Bygrave, Rasheed Pryce and Nicholas Power. The quartet won in seven minutes 40.78 seconds.
Neil Harrison
Neil Harrison
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Neil Harrison, coach of Jamaica College (JC), is comforted by their overall performance at the 46th staging of the Gibson McCook Relays inside the National Stadium on Saturday, although he expressed disappointment that his charges did not garner at least another win.

JC put in a great performance as they picked up five wins, the most by any team in several years, as the Old Hope Road-based institution showed strength in all classes, with their seniors leading the way with three big wins.

"It was a spirited performance by the boys as they made us proud. They showed heart, and this is very comforting," said Harrison.

JC lost the Class One boys' 4x100 metres Championship relay to archrivals Kingston College (KC), finishing second in 40.36 seconds, with KC winning in 40.14 seconds. Harrison, who is in his fourth year at the helm at JC after moving from KC, where he had a short stint at the top, was philosophical about their loss.

"We really wanted to win this one, too, but one must remember we are competing amongst the best, as teams like Calabar High, KC and St Elizabeth Technical have great teams, and we will have to understand that," he said.

JC seniors won the Class One boys' 4x200m in 1:23.92 minutes, the boys' 4x800m Open in 7:40.78 minutes, and the final event of the day, the boys' 4x400m Open in a decent 3:10.40 minutes, with all three being Championship events.

Their other successes were in the Class Four boys' 4x100m in 45.46 seconds and the Class Four boys' 4x200m in 1:36.02 minutes.

Harrison was cautiously optimistic for the rest of the season as he targets the ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys and Girls' Athletics Championships (Champs), scheduled for March 28-April 1 inside the National Stadium. On Friday and Saturday, his charges will participate in the Corporate Area Championships, also slated for the National Stadium.

"We are pretty much taking things one step at a time, as our objective is Champs; our preparation is being geared for the big one. It is very tough out there as KC are the defending champions, and they do have a quality team.

"I am really impressed with Calabar this season. They have looked much better than last year, so we just have to ensure to do our work, so we can get the best out of our boys when the right time comes," said Harrison.

At the meet on Saturday KC had three wins and Calabar two.

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