Merlene Ottey for Ben Francis Meet; Eastern Champs launched
THREE new events have been added to the programme for the third staging of the Ben Francis Invitational Meet set for next week Saturday at the Vere Technical High School in Hayes, Clarendon.
The meet was launched at the Spanish Court Hotel in Kingston yesterday.
The new events include the javelin open for male and female, 100m hurdles for Class Three boys and 70m hurdles for Class Four girls.
Six championships events for cash prizes of $40,000 will go to the winning schools of the boys 4x100m, 400m, and 2000m steeplechase and the girls 200m Class One, high jump and 4x400m.
The other events include the shot put, long jump, discus, 400m hurdles, 800m, 5000m, and 3000m.
The organisers have chosen to honour alumna Merlene Ottey — one of the greatest female sprinters of all time at this year’s event.
Ottey, 52, should be in Jamaica from February 11 through to the 19 as part of an official celebration which will include her being presented with an honorary doctorate by the University of Technology (UTech).
Vere has produced some of Jamaica’s most talented athletes in Veronica Campbell-Brown, Aleen Bailey, Michael McDonald and 2012 honoree Deon Hemmings-McCatty, who was the first Jamaican woman to win an Olympic gold in the 400m hurdles at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.
Ottey was the first woman to run the 60m indoors in less than seven seconds.
Fifty-five schools participated at last year’s Ben Francis Invitational which is named for the founding principal of the school.
Meanwhile, 22 schools are down to participate in the 27th staging of the Eastern Secondary Schools Sports Association (ESSSA)/Jamaica National Building Society (JNBS) Track and Field Championships scheduled to be held on March 11 and 12 at the National Stadium, it was revealed at a launch at the Altamont Court Hotel yesterday.
Participating schools are defending champions Oberlin High, Buff Bay High, Morant Bay High, Yallahs High, Glengoffe High, St Mary High, Happy Grove High, Titchfield High, Seaforth High, Fair Prospect High, Port Antonio High, St Thomas Technical, St Mary Technical, Robert Lightbourne High, Paul Bogle High, Iona High, St Mary’s College, Islington High, Brimmervale High, Tacky High and Oracabessa High.
A total of 80 events will be contested in boys classes one, two and three, while the girls will be compete in classes one through to four.
