PHILADELPHIA, USA — Unlike last year when the weather was near tropical on the last two days, this year’s renewal of the 116th Penn Relays Carnival here in Philadelphia is expected to see the normal cold and rainy conditions.

Yesterday weather forecasters were calling for cool weather no higher than 70 degrees Fahrenheit but with rain on both Thursday’s start and Saturday’s final day of the USA’s largest annual track and field meet.

Friday is expected to be cool and overcast, but dry with a high of 66 degrees Fahrenheit with Saturday expected to be cooler. Thursday’s opening day should be the warmest, with a high of 70 degrees but with rain like Saturday.

Meanwhile, the majority of the 39 high school teams and six college teams from Jamaica are expected to start arriving here today.

This is an increase from last year where 33 high school teams took part as Bridgeport High, Campion College and debutants Old Harbour High will join the boys’ section, while the Queen’s School and William Knibb Memorial High will return on the girls’ section.

Additionally, there will be a number of schools from other Caribbean territories: there will be six schools from the Bahamas, three from Barbados, six from Trinidad, one from the Turks and Caicos and three from the Virgin Islands.

Other non-North American countries or US territories that will be represented here are schools from Namibia and Zimbabwe, as well as the United Kingdom.

Jamaican high schools will defend five Championships of America relay titles this year, three on the girls’ side and two on the boys’.

Edwin Allen High girls won the 4x400m and 4x800m last year, while Vere Technical won the 4x100m.

Calabar High set a new meet record 39.91 seconds in the boys’ 4x100m, while St Jago retained their 4x400m title.

There were also four individual winners last year, Jamaica College’s K’Don Samuels set a then National Junior Record of 4.80m when he became the first Jamaican to win the pole vault; St Elizabeth Technical’s Peter-gay Reid retained her high jump title, while teammate Rochelle Farquharson won her first triple jump event and St George’s College’s Kimarki Absalom won the high jump.

In the college ranks last year the University of Technology girls became the first Jamaican college to win an event after they took the 4x400m, former Mannings School and St Hugh’s representative Nadia Alexander, representing Louisiana Tech, won the shot put championships, while former Alpha runner Shermaine Williams, who ran for Johnson C Smith University, set a NJR in the 100m hurdles while placing second overall.

Additionally, the Edwin Allen sister pair of Nikita and Ristananna Tracey were named the meet’s high school individual and relay MVPs for outstanding performances.

Jamaican high school teams taking part: 21 Boys — Ardenne High, Bellefield High, Bridgeport High, Calabar High, Camperdown High, Campion College, Herbert Morrison Technical High, Holmwood Technical High, Jamaica College, Kingston College, Manchester High, Munro College, Oberlin High, Old Harbour, St Elizabeth Technical, St George’s College, St Jago High, Tacius Golding High, Vere Technical, William Knibb Memorial, Wolmer’s Boys’.

17 Girls — Alpha Academy, Bellefield High, Camperdown High, Edwin Allen High, Herbert Morrison Technical High, Holmwood Technical High, Manchester High, Oberlin High, St Andrew High School, St Elizabeth Technical High, St Hugh’s High, St Jago High, Tacius Golding High, Queen’s School, Vere Technical High, William Knibb Memorial, Wolmer’s Girls’.

Colleges — GC Foster, Knox CC and UTech.