Hydel High School has been doing well at the Penn Relays in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania but their achievements might not have been possible save for the intervention of Express Canteen, whose last-minute efforts got the team on a plane to the USA earlier this week.
Hydel High's athletes have been blazing a trail of success and their girls’ team placed second at the recently-concluded ISSA/Grace Kennedy Boys' and Girls' Athletics Championships at the National Stadium.
In a media interview after the meet, Hydel’s head coach Corey Bennett revealed challenges that the school faced in securing funding for Champs and getting to the Penn Relays, noting that due to a financial shortfall they had to cut the number of members on their team.
Express Canteen, which caters to the school as its concessionaire, answered the call as they had done before and Bennett said it is testimony to the company's commitment to the development of some of the nation's finest athletic talent.
"The fact that the Express Canteen franchise has answered the call to lend their support to the Hydel High School team travelling to the Penn Relays shows once again their commitment to invest in Jamaica’s youth and the continued nurturing of their talents," Bennett said.
"We are sincerely appreciative of Express Canteen’s financial contribution towards our team, affording them the opportunity to compete amongst some of the best teams internationally.
"We would like to publicly thank the Express Canteen’s Management for their consistent and unwavering support towards the Hydel High School track and field programme."
The largesse was not lost on Hydel’s star sprinter Briana Lyston, who expressed her gratitude.
“The support for sports, and in particular the Hydel High’s Track and Field program, is truly important to us and most appreciated by us,” she said.
“The fact that some members of the corporate world continue to understand their importance to our development in the sport is simply great!”
Two of the events in which the Hydel High girls team will be participating are the 4x100 metres and 4x400 metres relays, in which they are favoured to battle for top honours, especially in the 4x100 metres where they came face to face with arch-rivals Edwin Allen and Ryan Foster, Chairman of Express Canteen, views their contribution as an investment in the next generation of athletes.
"Express Canteen is extremely proud of the exploits of all our schools at the recent Boys' and Girls' Champs. We believe in a holistic approach to our partnerships in schools, so when we saw the need of Hydel High to attend the Penn Relays it was an easy decision to support them," said Foster, who is also he is also the General Secretary/CEO of Jamaica's apex sporting body, the Jamaica Olympic Association (JOA).
"We are extremely proud of Corey and his achievements with the Hydel track programme and believe this investment is not only an investment in Hydel but also the next generation of athletes that will become our future Olympians.”
The Hydel High School team has also secured support from Florida-based SupaJamz radio and a perennial sponsor for Jamaican high schools competing at Penns, Team Jamaica Bickle.
Excelsior headlines finalists for Boys Championships of America 4x100m final at Penn Relays
A host of Jamaican schools will line up in the final of the High School Boys Championships of America 4x100m final, as they successfully navigated the qualifiers on day two of the 128th Penn Relays at the Franklin Field in Philadelphia on Friday.
Leading the qualifiers was the Excelsior quartet of Ryeem Walker, Damor Miller, Malike Nugent and Lennon Green, which clocked a brisk 40.62 seconds to top their heat.
They will be joined by local rivals Kingston College (41.30s), St Jago (41.35s), St George’s College (41.42s), Calabar High (41.70s) and Jamaica College (41.73s), and Wolmer’s Boys (41.84s). The other two lanes in the medal event will be occupied by Washington DC-based Archbishop John Carroll (41.49s) and Virginia-based West Springfield (41.77s).
Meanwhile, the High School Boys International final, also scheduled for Saturday, will see six Jamaican schools going up against those from Trinidad and Tobago, St Vincent and the Grenadines and The Bahamas, respectively.
St Elizabeth Technical (STETHS) headlines that field, after they posted the fastest qualifying time of 42.26s, followed by Cornwall College (42.53s) and the Bahamian school Queens College (42.61s). St Benedict’s, of out the twin island republic, and Munro College, both clocked 42.83s, while St Vincent Grammar (43.11s), Petersfield (43.14s), St Catherine (43.26s) and Vere Technical (43.55s), are the other qualifiers.
Elaine Thompson-Herah was never booked for USATF Bermuda Grand Prix, says agent
Speculation surrounding the participation of five-time Olympic champion Elaine Thompson-Herah at the highly anticipated USATF Bermuda Grand Prix has been dispelled by her agent, Marvin Anderson of Andi Sports Management. Despite earlier excitement and anticipation, Thompson-Herah was never officially booked or confirmed for the track meet scheduled for this Sunday at the Flora Duffy Stadium.
The revelation comes after recent reports sparked fervent anticipation among fans, particularly within Bermuda's Jamaican community, who were eagerly awaiting the opportunity to witness the "fastest woman alive" compete alongside other elite Caribbean athletes.
Yackeisha Weir, president of the Jamaican Association of Bermuda (JAB), expressed the community's high expectations and emphasized the honor of hosting Thompson-Herah ahead of the Paris Olympics. However, Anderson's statement to Sportsmax.TV on Friday shattered these hopes, clarifying that Thompson-Herah's presence at the USATF Bermuda Grand Prix was never confirmed.
"She was never booked. She was never confirmed," Anderson asserted, addressing the confusion surrounding Thompson-Herah's potential appearance.
“I asked the meet organizers if they had put out something and they said no, so I don’t know where that was leaked from. I know they had an interest way back, but no.”
Despite this setback, Anderson assured fans that Thompson-Herah has been diligently training and is gearing up for a successful upcoming season. While Thompson-Herah's name was notably absent from the start lists for Sunday's meet, other Jamaican athletes, including Alana Reid and Kemba Nelson, are set to showcase their talents in the 100m event. Ashanti Moore is the only Jamaican down to contest the 200m.
JC, KC book spots in 4x800m final
Jamaican track & field powerhouses Jamaica College and Kingston College both secured spots in the final of the High School Boys 4x800m on day two of the 128th Penn Relays at the Franklin Field in Philadelphia on Friday.
JC’s quartet of Nellie Amberton, Samuel Creary, Rasheed Pryce and Kemarrio Bygrave combined to qualify fastest with a time of 7:45.38.
KC (Schevorn Wardlow, Nahashon Ruto, Brian Kiprop, Jaquan Coke) ran 7:53.86 to finish second in their heat and advance as the eighth fastest school overall.
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