Latest News
JC strategic with key athletes’ preparation
February 11, 2025
As Jamaica College (JC) ramps up their preparations for the ISSA GraceKennedy Boys' and Girls' Athletics Championships, head coach Duane Johnson said the coaching staff has been strategic with their selection of track meets for key athletes this season.
Several of JC's top athletes have made infrequent appearances at track meets, which Johnson has since explained is a deliberate choice by the school's track and field programme.
This includes team captain and sprint hurdler Daniel Beckford, as well as middle-distance runner Samuel Creary. Both have made only a single appearance so far this season.
Johnson explained that the school's preparation process is geared towards these athletes peaking at the right time to maximise their chances at Champs.
This means as the five-day national track meet draws near, the programme's top athletes will begin making more consistent appearances.
"We are pretty confident with how things are shaping up. There are a few things for us to show and to see, because we know what we have," Johnson told STAR Sports in a recent interview.
"We have been cautiously approaching this development season in a way where we are actually showing up towards the back end of the season, when it is business time, as opposed to showing up every week and showing out," the head coach continued.
"We are strategically going about our business so when the time comes, like at the Gibson [Relays] and Champs, we will be there."
For JC, their strength will also come through their recruitment., which Johnson stated has brought in athletes who will turn heads at Champs.
One such athlete highlighted by Johnson is former Clarendon College discus standout Joseph Salmon.
Salmon, who won the boys' Class Two discus title last year, has traded Clarendon for St Andrew, as the schoolboy has turned out for the 22-time Champs winners this year.
Johnson believes the addition of Salmon is a major acquisition for the programme, as it increases their chances of earning vital points in the throwing disciplines.
"I can speak of one specific person who is already competing, Joseph Salmon, who came in from Clarendon College. He is the number one guy now in Class One throws and has been doing a lot of good stuff for us," Johnson raved.
Johnson insisted the preparation has been going well for JC and he expects, come March, that his athletes will be ready to compete for the coveted Mortimer Geddes Trophy.
