Recently much light has been shone on the GraceKennedy Boys’and Girls’ Championships by the international media. That has been because Champs has been posited as the major honing ground for the nation’s most successful athletes.

Names like Usain Bolt, Veronica Campbell, Grace Jackson, Herb McKenley. and countless others come to mind as stellar Jamaican representatives in the past and present that have benefited from their time at Champs.

It is no wonder, therefore, that every time an athlete begins to shine at this stage, people are quick to label them the next star of track and field. For many years, athletes have been shining at this level, breaking records and blowing the minds of countless fans.

The interesting problem we face, however, is that for all the athletes who have shown much potential over the years, it has only been a few who have managed to break into the senior ranks with any success. For whatever reason, several of Jamaica’s most promising junior stars have just not been able to make the transition.

Take for example athletes like Daniel England and Sekou Clarke. England, a former Calabar High sprinter of the late 80s and early 90s and Clarke, a Jamaica College star of the late 90s and early 00s, were veritable cult heroes of their time.

The prowess of both athletes extended their cult reach far beyond the realms of their respective high school fraternities; this transformed them into serious Champs superstars. We can remember as young prep school children going to Champs and hearing the huge Jamaica College crowd roar in approval when Clarke’s name was mentioned over the loud speakers. Once the athletes left for college, however, their huge potential seemed to have disappeared as nothing serious has been heard from them since.

Another athlete with much potential in that area was Tesfa Latty. When this diminutive St George’s College sprinter shattered the previous Champs 100-metre record and reposted it as a blistering 10.29 seconds, the entire Jamaica stood up and took notice.

Immediately, many were likening this young star to Ray Stewart — the former Camperdown and Jamaica sprinter who held the then national record. Latty was supposed to be the one who would return male prowess to a sport which was at the time dominated by superior females. Alas, it was not to be as once Latty went to college he suffered a series of injuries and was forced to call it quits on his career.

Although athletes such as former Kingston College talisman Andre Wellington and Camperdown sprint phenom Remaldo Rose chose to stay in Jamaica, it seems they were not immune to that illness.

Both athletes had promising high school careers and even translated that form into international junior medals but have hit huge snags with their progress, and have been surpassed by younger, faster athletes who are quickly taking their spots in the limelight.

Whatever the reasons have been for the downfall of these athletes, we sincerely hope that it is just an anomaly that we have to come to accept. It is our hope that one day if this problem isn’t completely dealt with, that we will have such an abundance of talent that the losses will prove negligible to the overall outcome of sports in our nation.