The US indoor track and field season has begun with a Jamaican bang with a win for award-winning performances by a trio of student-athletes and a return to fitness for Danielle Williams, the champion sprint hurdler. Marie Forbes, Tarees Rhoden, Roje Stona and Williams all marked the 2022 register at the Orange and Purple Invitational on January 8 with noteworthy starts to the campaign.

Williams cast aside an injury troubled Olympic campaign with a nifty trip over 300 metres. The 100 metre hurdles World Championships gold and bronze medallist covered that extended distance in a winning time of 38.57 seconds.

Rhoden, Forbes and Stona are all student-athletes at Clemson University, host of the meet, and all three were named Performers of the Week by the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).

Rhoden, the former Kingston College captain, was honoured as the men’s track performer of the week, after a post-to-post win over 600m. His time – 1 minute 17.81 seconds was a Clemson record and earned him praise from head coach Mark Elliot.

“For Tarees, The 600 is a good indicator of where he should be in his primary event, the 800, and that’s a really good start for him”, raved Elliott.

Rhoden, who was third in Class 1, 800m at the 2019 edition of Boys and Girls Championships, was unchallenged.

Forbes was named the women’s field performer of the week following a big effort in the women’s weight throw. The ex-Vere Technical athlete placed second with 18.91m, which is just 9 centimetres off a personal best she set in December.

“Marie is a great addition to our team and has had a great start to our season. She’s a multi field person and has had a great start there”, observed Elliot of Forbes, who excelled in the discus at Vere.

Stona was a co-field performer of the week along with Georgia Tech’s Cameron O’Neal, having won the shot with a winning put of 18.31m which moved up the Clemson all-time indoor performance chart to third. Stona’s win over fellow Clemson Jamaican Zico Campbell earned him a nod from Elliot.

“Roje is a consummate competitor,” said the Clemson head coach. “He is a senior on our team and has had a great start to his season.”

Notably, the shot is Stona’s secondary event. Twice a winner of Class 1, discus for St Jago High School at Champs, Stona was second last year at the NCAA Championships.

The US indoor college season will pick this weekend and big meets are set for Clemson, Texas A&M University, whose squad includes 2021 Jamaican Olympic team member Charokee Young and Louisiana State University (LSU), who now have the Jamaican pair of Garriel White and Apalos Edwards aboard.

Young was part of Jamaica’s 4×400 relay pool for the Olympics. White, the 2021 Boys and Girls Championships 400m hurdles queen, and Edwards, the ex-Jamaica College triple jumper, are new arrivals at LSU.