KC and Edwin Allen tipped to defend Champs titles

Kingston College (KC) and Edwin Allen High are expected to defend their titles at the 2025 Inter-Secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA)/GraceKennedy Boys’ and Girls’ Athletics Championships, known as Champs. The five-day event, marking the first competition on the newly resurfaced track at the National Stadium in Kingston, begins at 9:00 am on Tuesday and concludes on Saturday.

Tuesday’s opening day will feature 30 preliminary-round events, giving top athletes the chance to make an early impression. No finals are scheduled for the day.

The first final of the championships, the Boys’ Class Two long jump, is set for Wednesday at 1:10 pm. Wednesday’s schedule also includes the semi-finals and finals of the Boys’ and Girls’ 100m events across all classes. The opening 100m semi-final, for Girls' Class Four, is scheduled to begin at 4:00 pm. The first 100m final will start at 7:45 pm. The 1500m finals will also be contested that day.

Last year, KC claimed their third consecutive title and 35th overall, securing victory with 335 points, extending their record as the most successful school in the championship’s history. They finished 57 points ahead of 22-time champions Jamaica College (JC), who had been expected to be their main challengers.

JC also finished a distant second to KC in both 2022 and 2023, when they were again expected to challenge KC.

In 2022, KC secured their second title in three years, dethroning JC with a total of 372 points—71.17 points ahead of their rivals. The following year, KC extended their dominance, accumulating 366 points to finish 67 points clear of JC.

In response to three consecutive losses, JC parted ways with head coach Neil Harrison, appointing former assistant coach Dwayne Johnson as his successor.

Based on performances across the preseason events, JC again appear to be KC’s main challengers, as seen at the Corporate Area Development meet earlier this month, a key indicator of teams’ form ahead of Champs. Strong performances at this meet have traditionally translated into strong showings at Champs.

KC amassed 463 points to claim their seventh consecutive title, finishing 48.5 points ahead of JC, who secured second place with 414.5 points. Calabar, boasting a strong squad this year, took third with 301 points and are also expected to contend for the Mortimer Geddes Trophy. However, KC have spared no effort in their bid to retain the title, particularly as the school, founded in 1925, celebrates its 100th anniversary this year.

KC’s Kenyan contingent, led by Brian Kiprop, Julius Itubo, and Peter Njuguna, delivered standout performances at the Corporate Area Development meet. Kiprop currently leads the rankings in the 2000m open steeplechase, having set a personal best of 5:59.95 at the meet. He remains the only athlete in the field to have run under six minutes. JC’s Evans Tetteh of Ghana is the closest challenger, with a time of 6:10.90.

Kiprop, who secured back-to-back gold medals in the 1500m last year by winning the Class One title, enters this season as the fifth-fastest at that distance with a time of 4:05.78. However, much of the attention will be on fellow Kenyan Ryan Achau of St Jago High, who is set to make his Champs debut. The 17-year-old leads the 1500m rankings with times of 3:52.06 and 3:54.51—the only two performances under four minutes this season—well ahead of Joel Morgan of Edwin Allen High, who has the next best time of 4:03.29.

Achau is also the fastest in the 5000m, with times of 15:15.93 and 15:45.07, the only marks under 16 minutes this season.

Itubo has dominated Class Three middle-distance events, holding the top four times in the 1500m, with a best of 4:10.51. He is also ranked second in the 800m at 2:01.60, trailing only Manchester High’s Tyrone Turner (2:00.79).

Daniel Clarke of KC is another athlete to watch after rounding off the Carifta Trials with a dominant victory over Calabar’s Shaquane Gordon in the Boys’ Under-20 110m hurdles final.

The 19-year-old clocked an impressive 13.06 seconds, cutting a significant 0.36 seconds off his previous best of 13.42, set just over a week earlier. Gordon, the reigning Carifta Games Under-20 110m hurdles champion, finished second in 13.38 seconds, marking his only defeat in the event this season.

Clarke’s performance now ranks him joint third on Jamaica’s all-time junior list, alongside Tyler Mason and former KC athlete Wayne Pinnock, behind only Damion Thomas (12.99) and Orlando Bennett (13.00). Clarke’s 13.06 clocking at the Carifta Trials matches the Champs Class One record set by Pinnock in 2019. He will again renew his rivalry with Gordon, and the Champs record is now under threat.

In the sprint events, Wolmer’s Boys’ Gary Card has established himself as the country’s fastest schoolboy, winning the Carifta Trials Boys’ Under-20 100m in 10.21 seconds in only his second race of the season. Gordon, who finished second in 10.36, is the third-fastest schoolboy this season, with a best of 10.34. Excelsior High’s Riquelme Reid, the second-fastest schoolboy, and St George’s College’s Tyrese Foreman (10.37) will also be contenders.

Edwin Allen, based in Frankfield, Clarendon, are poised to win their 11th girls' title at Champs, following strong preseason performances. The Michael Dyke-coached team, which dethroned Hydel High last year, demonstrated its dominance with a commanding 79-point victory at the Central Athletics Championships, showing the team will be tough to beat.

There is a great deal of anticipation surrounding athletes such as Edwin Allen stars Tashana Godfrey, Amoya Howell, and Kellyann Carr, as well as Shanoya Douglas of Muschett High and Sabrina Dockery of Lacovia High.

Godfrey, the Class Four 70m hurdles winner at last year’s event, has proven herself a cut above in the Class Three 80m hurdles this season. She currently leads the season with the top three times, including a personal best of 11.16 seconds, achieved twice. Her closest rival is Jadae Harris of Wolmer's Girls, who has posted a time of 11.32 seconds.

Howell and Shanice Williams of St Jago High shared the top time of 10.49 seconds (wind-assisted) in the Class Four 70m hurdles this season. They achieved that time at the Central Athletics Championships, where Howell was judged the winner. The pair has posted the top five times between them, with their closest rival, Amelia Hacker of Hydel High, recording a time of 10.79 seconds.

Carr, the 2024 Carifta Games 400m hurdles silver medallist, is the clear favourite going into Champs, having posted a time of 57.27 seconds at the Central Athletics Championships. Although she was expected to shine at the Carifta Trials, Carr faced disappointment in the Girls’ Under-20 final, where she fell at the final hurdle while leading the race.

Carr is also the top-ranked athlete in Class One 400m, with a personal best of 52.57 seconds, set at the Central Athletics Championships. Her victory there came at the expense of Hydel’s Abigail Campbell, who finished second in 52.98 seconds, the second-fastest time this year. A thrilling contest between the two is anticipated at Champs.

Douglas, 17, who claimed a 200m bronze at the World Athletics U20 Championships in Lima last August, is the favourite for the Class Two sprint double. Dockery, meanwhile, is poised to take the Class One sprint double.

Douglas holds the four fastest times in Class Two 100m, including a personal best of 11.35 seconds, which saw her finish second behind Dockery in the Girls’ Under-20 100m final at the Carifta Trials. The next best time in the class is 11.56 seconds, recorded by Dominican athlete Kerelle Etienne of Edwin Allen High.

In the Class Two 200m, Douglas holds the top three times, with her best of 23.12 seconds set at the Carifta Trials. Wolmer’s Girls' Natrece East is second with 23.65 seconds.

Dockery has posted the four fastest Class One 100m times, led by an 11.30-second effort in winning at the Carifta Trials. Hydel’s Shemonique Hazle and Jounee Armstrong follow with times of 11.55 and 11.56 seconds, respectively.

The 18-year-old Dockery also leads the 200m in her class with a time of 23.43 seconds from the Carifta Trials. However, she faces stiff competition from Armstrong (23.60 seconds) and Hydel’s Jody-Ann Daley (23.61 seconds).