Sprint star Elaine Thompson-Herah began her 2022 campaign with a victory at the 20th staging of the Queens/Grace Jackson Development meet at the National Stadium East last Saturday. The 2016 and 2021 double Olympic Champion won over 60m in 7.19 seconds.

2018 World Indoor finalist Remona Burchell attacked from the start and pressed with Thompson-Herah for the first 40m. Then the Olympic gold medallist edged away to the finish with Burchell the runner-up in 7.29 seconds.

A 1.9 m/s headwind affected the race. With zero wind, or indoors, the times would roughly be 7.06 for Thompson-Herah, and 7.16 for Burchell. By comparison, the fastest indoor time is 7.08 seconds by American Marybeth Sant-Price.

However, Thompson-Herah wasn’t too concerned about the time.

“For now, it’s about getting my fitness and my health of course and that is in a good place right now so wherever the meets take me. I have two meets on the circuit in the 60m, and I might challenge indoors”, Thompson-Herah explained after the race.

That challenge could come at the World Indoor Championships in March. She finished third in the 60m at the 2016 staging of the event and fourth in 2018.

Not long before she graced the track, there was a big battle in the 4×400 metre relay. Excelsior High School was well ahead at the start of the third leg but national Under-20 200m champion Gregory Prince put St Jago High School level with a 45.8-second leg and his anchorman Jevaughn Pinnock did the rest. St Jago won in 3 minutes 14.43 seconds. Excelsior finished second in 3.15.25.

Edwin Allen High School was the fastest time in the girls’ 4×400 at 3 minutes 44.80 seconds.

Jamaica College’s DeAndre Watkins and Mount Alvernia’s Carletta Bernard shone in the boys Class 1 400m and the girls Class 2 200 respectively.

Watkins clocked a notable time of 47.32 seconds.

Running with a long-legged style that reminded veteran observers of 1988 Olympic 200 metre silver medal winner Grace Jackson, Bernard defied lane 1 and a 1.5 m/s headwind to win the Class 2 200 in 24.52 seconds.

In the field, 2021 World Under 20 triple jump runner-up Jayden Hibbert of Kingston College and Calabar’s Denz Simmonds drew attention. Hibbert bounced 15.32m in the Under 18 triple jump despite a headwind and Simmonds launched the Under 20 shot 18.30m. Both won by big margins.