This victory was sweeter than others – Dyke

Edwin Allen High School head coach Michael Dyke said that it is a mixture of happiness and relief to retain the ISSA/GraceKennedy Girls' Athletics Championship (Champs) title after what he says was a difficult season.

Edwin Allen won their seventh consecutive title, amassing a final total of 340 points. St Jago finished second with 309.5, while Hydel High finished third with 301.5 points. Despite the St Jago challenge, Edwin Allen managed to secure the title by a more comfortable margin than in 2019 when seven points was all that separated them and runners-up Hydel High School.

Various challenges

But Dyke said that in a year where the COVID-19 pandemic produced various challenges to the team, it took every effort possible for them to continue the winning streak.

"We had to pull out all the stops to encourage the parents to allow their children to be here and reassure them that they would have been safe," Dyke told STAR Sports. "We have worked hard and we were hoping because it was a lot of uncertainly but we managed to pull through."

Acting principal Donna Barrett-Reid praised Dyke.

"It has to do with Michael Dyke and the coaching staff," she said. "He seems to have found a formula to win. He is very hard-working and extremely determined and set on getting things done how he would want it.

"We had instances that we were told we had to stop training. But we made it through and so I'm sure the team and myself and the others would have felt like it was worth it after all that."

With not being able to compete last year because of the pandemic, Dyke said that he was pleased that there was no complacency from his team at Champs this year and was confident even with mishaps that the depth of his squad would deliver.

"It's a great feeling to still be champions after one year's absence," he said. "It goes to show that we did not sit back despite the pandemic, we still went on and prepared ourselves for this one," Dyke said.