The recent Gibson Relays demonstrated in no uncertain manner that Jamaica's track and field remains alive and very well.

With the all-powerful MVP and High Performance Training Centre (HPTC) teams competing, the one-day relay carnival produced some quality running.

But for a faulty change on the final handover, the Asafa Powell-led MVP team could have gone close to Jamaica's national record of 38.20 in the 4x100m final for men's clubs and institutions. The event was still won in a record 38.70 by the Usain Bolt-led HPTC quartet.

Sherone Simpson, the fastest woman in the world last year, and and Commonwealth Games 100m hurdles champion Brigitte Foster-Hylton ran crucial legs as the MVP women outclassed their rivals in the 4x100m and 4x400m. Despite the presence of the world-class senior athlete the usual high level of attention was focussed on the high school events.

Sparkling sprinting

The boys, in particular, produced some sparkling sprinting with record-breaking performances coming in the 4x100m events for classes One, Two and Three.

Kingston College (KC) became the first Class Three team to go under 44 seconds at the meet, while Calabar's Class Two quartet (41.04) and St. Jago's Class One team (40.07) came very close to breaking the 41-second and 40-second barriers, respectively. KC were outstanding on the day and will again be very hard to beat at the annual Grace Boys and Girls Championships at the end of this month.

In addition to wins in the sprint events, they outclassed rivals in the 4x800m Open and 4x400m Open to suggest that they have both depth and quality on the track.

Defending inter-secondary girls champions Holmwood Technical also displayed all-round quality at the meet with five relay victories. For a number of years they have been producing the best 4x400m open quartet and it is difficult to see any of the other schools defeating them in the near future. While Calabar will challenge the dominance of KC among the boys at Champs, the girls' race appears to have been decided already. Edwin Allen High and Manchester High showed up well, but will surely lack the overall depth to successfully challenge the Maurice Wilson-coached Holm-wood girls.

Heart-breaking Vere

It was very heart-breaking to see the usually outstanding Vere Technical girls struggling in almost every event they competed in and it is hoped that they will get their act together and come stronger next year.

One of the hottest clashes at the upcoming championships should be that between Camper-down's Remaldo Rose and Yohan Blake of St. Jago in the Class One boys' sprints.

Both are a step away from the senior ranks and could challenge for places on Jamaica's team to the IAAF World Championships in Osaka, Japan, in August.

Blake, last year's Class Two sprint champion, was seen at his best when he anchored St. Jago to victory in the Class One 4x100m. The St Jago High star finished ahead of Rose when winning a bronze medal in the 100m at last year's World Junior Champion-ships and will want to maintain his dominance at the inter-secondary championships.

Spectator-friendly

Off-the-track meets such as the Gibson Relays still need to be a bit more spectator-friendly.

Times and placings of events were displayed on the scoreboard at the northern section of the National Stadium but there is a need for an electronic timer in the infield at the finish line. This would add a great deal to the excitement, especially when events are completed in record times.

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