Jamaican High Schools have taken their recruiting drive overseas in a bid to win Champs. Kingston College (KC) and Jamaica College (JC), according to a Jamaica Gleaner report, are the leading recruiters of talents from abroad.
Kenyan Aaron Tanui of Kenya and Rwotimiya Emmanuel Oyet of Uganda will join the North Street-based school team this year. Chepkiza will compete in the middle-distance events and Emmanuel Oyet, a class two athlete, is expected to add firepower to a strong KC sprint team.
Another Ugandan Atukwats Crispus, who played U16 football in 2018, is also a member of the track and field team. He is the cousin of Ari Rodgers, who is now in his third year at KC.
JC, on the other hand, has brought in St Vincent and Grenadines middle-distance duo of Handel Roban and Uroy Ryan. Rohan beat the Jamaican pair of J’Vaughon Blake and Giovani Henry to win the Boys Under-17 800m at the Carifta Games in 2018.
The ‘Dark Blues’ according to many pundits, will be a force to be reckoned with at Champs 2020.
Meanwhile, several top athletes have changed schools leading into the 2020 season.
Former St. Catherine High quarter-miler, Tyrece Grant, who finished fourth in the Class One 400m at Champs 2019, will now represent KC. So too is Kirk Dawkins, who sat out Champs 2019.
JC got Andre Bent from William Knibb and Zidane Brown from Glenmuir.
Calabar wasn’t as busy but will have former STETHS sprinter Tyrone Barnes, who sit out last season.
Tyriece Taylor, the former Enid Bennett High top man, has transferred to Vere technical sixth form.
On the girls’ side, no mention of any of the schools going overseas, but Shantae Foreman left Excelsior and will now represent St. Jago as a sixth former.
Foreman will try to defend her high jump and long jump class two titles in 2020.
Gabrielle Matthews, ones of the shining stars who sat out Champs 2019, is now ready to deliver for The Queens School this year. She won the Class three 80m hurdles and 200m while at Hydel in 2018.
We want to hear from you! Join our lively discussion by leaving a comment below. You can also email us at [email protected]
@Glenn Stockley. WTF??? Slave plantation? No-one is being kidnapped. Capitalism at it best thanks to countries like Canada, other nations have learned it well. They’d rather be surrounded by similar people than be a transplant in a permafrost country where they don’t belong and will never identify with.
So sad they could not have qualified for a scjool woth real education system in Canada…..your endemic cortuption on tbis 21st century slave plantation is disgusting