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ABIGAIL CAMPBELL, the former Ferncourt High star who is now at Hydel High, is on a major mission this year. She wants to be a big player in her new school's bid to retain the ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys and Girls' Championships (Champs) female title in March.

At last Saturday's McKenley-Wint Classics, a development meet hosted by Calabar High, Hydel's powerful 400 metres group, led by Campbell in Class One, put on a show by sweeping the event in all classes.

Campbell led the way for the Ferry-based school after clocking a personal best 53.22 seconds to win her event and produced the fastest time across all three classes.

A very delighted Campbell told STAR Sports that she was happy with her execution of the race.

"I am really happy and pleased with my performance. I followed the instructions of my coach and that resulted in a win and a good time," she said.

"I am targeting a low 52 seconds in the event this season and I want to help Hydel to retain their title as the entire team is working hard and we are all focused," said the first-year Class One athlete who also represented the country at the World Under-20 Championships in Cali, Colombia, in 2022.

Campbell will be representing Hydel for the first time at Champs after moving from Ferncourt in 2022 and then sitting out a year based on the transfer rule.

In her first year in Class Two she won the 400m title in 53.75 and will be hoping to return on a winning note. On Saturday she definitely threw down the gauntlet after Edwin Allen High's Tonyan Beckford did so at the Pure Water/JC/R. Danny Williams Development meet two weeks earlier by posting 53.93.

Both Campbell and Beckford will renew rivalry in the event at Champs following their last meeting in 2022 when Beckford was fourth to Campbell in 54.51. Last year in her first year in the class Beckford finished fourth in a personal best 52.88, and as co-captain of the Edwin Allen team will want to leave school on a high by winning her first individual race at the championships and help her team to victory.

With both athletes going sub-54 seconds in early competition, the stage is set for the remainder of the season and come March this event could be one of, if not the clash of the championships, and could go a far away in deciding the outcome of the overall team title.