Coached by Michael Dyke, Edwin Allen High School produced a moment of baton magic in the first race of the 45th Gibson-McCook Relays on February 26. Serena Cole, World Under 20 100 champion Tina Clayton, Brandy Hall and Tia Clayton won the class 1 4×100 metres with the fastest high school time ever – 43.37 seconds. It set the tone for an afternoon filled with speed.

The old Gibson-McCook record – 44.48 – was left in tatters.

The world high school standard, established at the 2019 Penn Relays by Cole, Kevona Davis and Tina and Tia, was 43.62 seconds.

The meet also featured 4×100 season leading times from Hydel High School, 44.63 in class 2, for the Racers Track Club in the men’s race, 38.89, and St Jago High School, 40.26 in the class 1 boys contest.

Jamaica College shared top billing with a super run in the boys’ 4×800 metres. Omarion Davis, Handel Robban, Kemario Bygrave and J’Voughnn Blake destroyed two notable marks in one race. The Dwayne Johnson coached JC team broke away on the second leg and kept going solo to an excellent clocking of 7 minute 24.30 seconds, far better than the Gibson-McCook record of 7.29.04 and the all time Jamaican high school benchmark of 7.26.09.

St Jago led after the first leg but Johnson’s team then reeled off splits of 1.49.5, 1.53.0 and 1.49.3 in a solo run for the record.

Fittingly, in the year when Jamaica celebrates the 70th anniversary of a world record win by the Helsinki Quartet at the 1952 Olympics, the 4×400 races were outstanding.

Sprintec turned back Racers in the men’s race in 3 minutes 05.16 seconds. GC Foster College was third but anchorman Zandrion Barnes burned the fastest relay carry of the race – 45.3 seconds.

In like manner, Hydel and St Jago produced the fastest high school 4×400 times of the season. Hydel clocked 3 minutes 33.76 seconds, with World Under 20 200 finalist Brianna Lyston closing the effort with a 52.5 anchor. The meet record – 3.33.34 – by Vere Technical in 2014 wasn’t that far off.

In the last race of the meet, 2021 National Junior 200 champion Gregory Prince put St Jago in the lead for good with a 46.3 third leg. St Jago triumphed 3 minutes 10.48 seconds. Earlier, Prince stepped past 4 other boys to give his school success in the Class 1 4×100.

Tissana Hickling, the 2019 Pan-American Games long jump bronze medal winner, won her pet event with a wind-aided leap of 6.70 metres after an 11.85-second stroll to win the 100 metres. Notably, Lushane Wilson high jumped 2.21 and Adrian Riley bossed the men’s long jump, with a first-round effort taped at 7.87 metres.