“Champs” Jamaica’s Boys & Girls track and field championship

Forty (40)  international journalists  covered the recent  99th staging of the ISSA Grace Kennedy Boys’ and Girls’ Championships at the National Stadium in Kingston, Jamaica.

Among them was Public relations manager of track and field’s world governing body, the IAAF, Laura Arcolio, and  Mattias Schneider of Stern Magazine, Leon Mann of the BBC

After Jamaican  athletes performance at the Beijing some persons could not just be happy for them. There were so many cynics. There were statements and comments made without knowledge or facts of how these athletes are developed.  Well some journalist got first hand experience of what Jamaican Track and Field is all about, how passionate the young athletes are about the sport, and how they are developed.  The consensus  was that, this local high school athletic championship explains why the Jamaican athletes especially  our Beijing Olympic gold medalists Usain Bolt, Shelly-Ann Fraser, Veronica Campbell-Brown , and  Melaine Walker are such good athletes.

 Leon Mann of the BBC said that he now understands what is happening in Jamaica to result in the kind of success the athletes have achieved. He thought that the experience would silence the cynics and those who contributed the success of the athletes to drugs.

Public relations manager of track and field’s world governing body, the IAAF, Laura Arcolio, said ‘Champs’ could rival many international meets.

Mattias Schneider of the Stern Magazine out of Germany who covered the 2008 Beijing Olympics, said in all his travels, he had never had such an experience especially in track and field. He said it was by far the best he had seen.

There is talk of a meet with Jamaican athletes competing with American athletes. These athletes compete at the Olympics, World Games, Penn Relays and other meets. I say no way! No such competition is necessary! So hold your peace, get ready for England 2012!