Milo Western Relays

The 37-year-old Powell of MVP Track Club clocked 6.73 seconds to beat Sprintec Lions' Andrew Fisher in a close finish in section one of the three-section race. Fisher was also credited with the same time as Powell.

Powell was one of the most dominant sprinters of his era, consistently breaking the 10-second barrier and twice setting the world 100m record in 2005 and 2008. The second time he did it with a blazing 9.74 seconds.

Powell also won a gold medal in the 4x100m relay at the Rio Olympics and competed in three Summer Games.

A statue of the sprinter is set to be unveiled at Statue Park inside Independence Park Ltd on Sunday.

Meet organizer Ray Harvey announced that after an extensive examination of the current state of Covid-19 in the country and discussions with title sponsor MILO, the decision was taken to cancel this year’s staging of the meet, in the interest of the health and safety of all stakeholders.

Harvey said that it was a hard and painful decision to take but it was the right decision. He said he is looking forward to being able to stage the meet at its scheduled second Saturday of February in 2022.  He also looks forward to staging the meet on the refurbished track at the home of MILO Western Relays - the Montego Bay Sports Complex in Catherine Hall.

The MILO Western Relays is the latest in a string of track and field meets that have been cancelled since the start of the season. Jamaica’s Ministry of Health and Sports have been meeting with stakeholders hoping to find a safe way for sporting activities to resume.

One of the most significant announcements was the introduction of discus and shot put throws for all classes of high school girls and boys. This marked a groundbreaking moment, bringing a new dimension to the competition and offering young athletes a chance to showcase their skills in these field events.

Ray Harvey further revealed that, due to popular demand from senior-level coaches, the invitational 60m dash for clubs and institutions would make a return to the schedule. This addition aimed to provide valuable experience for athletes preparing for overseas competitions, adding an extra layer of competitiveness to the event.

In another exciting development, prize money was reintroduced for high schools participating in specific relay events. The 4x100M Class 1, 4X400M Class 1, and the 4X800M Open categories would see athletes earning cash rewards ranging from JMD$5,000 to JMD$40,000 based on their placements. Edwin Allen emerged as the top-performing school in the previous year, securing JMD$140,000 for their outstanding performance.

The event, scheduled to start at 10:00 am, promised a packed day of activities, including relays for all classes, hurdles, field events such as long jump, triple jump, and high jump, as well as sprint races ranging from 100m to 800m. The day's schedule would culminate with the 3000m and the 1500m, the first event on the list.

 Harvey also took the opportunity to announce the patron of the event and recognize outstanding junior male and female awardees. Chester McCarthy, the athletic director at GC Foster College, along with Deandre Daley of Herbert Morrison Technical High School and Alexis James, formerly of Petersfield High School, were named as this year's recipients. The awards presentation would take place during the opening ceremony at GC Foster College on Saturday, February 10.

Nekesha Bartholomew-Ramey, representing the title sponsor MILO, expressed their commitment with a generous cash sponsorship of four million dollars (JMD$4,000,000). She emphasized MILO's dedication to the event, highlighting its alignment with the product as the "food drink of champions" that provides energy to go further.

Mount Alvernia's coach Andrew Henry received special recognition for his exceptional work with MILO scholarship awardees since 2007. Bartholomew-Ramey praised his efforts, acknowledging the positive impact he had on athletes in the west.

Attendees to the February event were promised not only a fantastic athletic showcase but also the opportunity to sample hot and cold MILO, with product sales at discounted prices. The Jamaica Olympic Association's president, Chris Samuda, confirmed the organization's continued sponsorship for the third consecutive year, further solidifying the significance of the MILO Western Relays on the Jamaican sports calendar.

The launch event extended beyond the formalities, featuring a coach's clinic and an informative section on nutrition, exercises, and recovery for prep and primary schools, as well as high schools. Keilando Goburn, coach at St. Jago High School, delivered a well-timed presentation on 'Intensive Hurdling Technique,' earning praise from fellow coaches for its quality and relevance. Overall, the atmosphere was buzzing with excitement as the countdown to the MILO Western Relays began.

According to meet organizer Ray Harvey, MVP Track Club, UTech and Speed Unit Track Club, requested that he add three 60-metres races the schedule. As a result, the first of those three races will be run at 9:40 am.

In that race, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce will line up alongside Shauna Helps, Jodean Williams, Ezinne Okparaebo of Norway and four other athletes.

In the second race Utech athletes Ojamu Graham, Marcus Brown and Tarisco Bell will line up against five other athletes including Chaquille Sam of Montserrat.

The final 60-metre dash former 100m world record holder Asafa Powell will face World Long Jump champion Tajay Gayle and Nesta Carter.

Julian Forte, Austin Hamilton of Sweden are also listed among the starters.

Ray Harvey said the races are expected to be a treat for all the spectators who turn up to the venue on Saturday.

“I am one of hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands of people who want Western Relays to go back home. I have been waiting patiently for five years for the track to be repaired, it just hasn't happened and we just have to keep our fingers crossed that it will happen sometime soon," Harvey said during a ceremony at GC Foster College in St Catherine on Monday when cash prizes were handed over to the schools who participated in this year’s meet at the sports college that has hosted the meet for the past few years.

Harvey noted that having a working track in Montego Bay is integral to the development of track and field in western Jamaica. In addition to the Milo Western Relays and other athletics meets, the Montego Bay Sports Complex also used to host a number of other events leading up to the relays.

They include seminars for coaches and athletes regarding drugs in sports, physical fitness and nutrition and baton-passing clinics for 10 and 11 year olds as well as training sessions for meet officials.

Those activities have ceased for the past five years.

“It is kind of a tragedy what is going on in Western Jamaica regarding the track and everything that is happening and what has been in the news recently,” said Harvey while making reference to a revelation that racing cars were being driven on the worn-out running surface.

“I would like to take this opportunity to call on the government to restore that track, get it back up because it is a pride for the Western teams and they have always been consistent and I think not having access to that facility is kinds robbing Western Jamaica of their true and full potential," Harvey continued.

"We are looking forward to going back to Montego Bay because we are also robbing the spectators or the ardent track and field supporters that opportunity to see their home grown talent performing with the best in the country."

The meet organizer also revealed that he would be subsidizing the travel expenses of the teams that had to travel from western Jamaica to St Catherine to collect their prize money.

"We have a special programme to support the teams from the West. We recognize that they are not able to be at home in Montego Bay. They have to travel. It is expensive to travel so we are offering six teams a subsidy towards their travel here coming to GC Foster College. They are getting two touches. One, this prize money and two the transportation money so the teams from the West, several of them will get two cheques.

Edwin Allen were big winners as they collected a cheque for JMD$210,000 having won five of six relays at the last meet. Coach Abna Stoner and athletes Jounee Armstrong and Dylan Logan, were on hand to receive the prize money.

The Clarendon-based track power’s girls won the Class I 4x100m, 4x400m and the 4x800m relays while the boys won the Class I 4x100m, 4x400m and placed third in the 4x800m.

Edwin Allen bagged the largest cash bounty of the 10 schools that benefited financially. The other winners included Kingston College (JMD $50,000), Holmwood Technical (JMD $50,000), Excelsior High School (JMD $40,000), St. Jago High School (JMD $20,000), Vere Techincal JMD ($20,000), Mt. Alvernia High School (JMD $15,000), Bellfield High School (JMD $5,000) and Green Island High School (JMD $5,000).

"I am happy to come all the way from the West to GC Foster College to present Edwin Allen a decent cheque. Its $210,000. They have supported Western Relays from (the) beginning and one of the schools we can always count on at Western Relays to put on a show and to make our product into something special," said Harvey

Coach Stoner of Edwin Allen was gracious in his reply.

"We are so grateful for (this) presentation because I was pleasantly surprised when I opened it and looked at the figure. This is really a shot in the arm and it will go a long way in contributing to the programme,” he said.

“This week we will be departing for Penn Relays and with all the logistics - airfare, pocket money for students, it is a pretty penny and this money that we got, it really can help to develop the programme." Edwin Allen departed the island for the Penn Relays on Tuesday.