Former world champion Kim Collins opened his outdoor season in fine style at the eighth GC Foster College Central Hurdles and Relays with a fast 6.53-second clocking to win the men’s 60-metre dash at the institution’s St Catherine base on Saturday.

Collins of St Kitts and Nevis, running from lane three in section four of the Clubs and Institutions category, rebounded from a slight stumble out the blocks to sprint away from rivals to win the event comfortably.

The 11-time World Championships veteran technically established a new record as the event was being contested for the first time since the meet’s inception in 2008.

“It is very nerve-racking when you come into situations like these where you expect to be the winner; so I was very nervous, but I am happy with the performance. It is a great track, great facility, so I am just happy to be able to come and run a great time and walk away injury-free,” Collins told the Jamaica Observer in a post-race interview.

“I know the guys that came to perform were looking to dethrone the old man and some of them looking to go to the World Indoor Championships so they are looking for good times to add to that. So I am happy with the performance and the fact that everybody came to compete well,” he added.

Meanwhile, over 12 records were broken at the meet, which started out in sunny conditions before being dampened in the latter stages by persistent rain.

Holmwood Technical were among the top performers when they erased Edwin Allen’s six-year-old meet record on their way to victory in the girls’ Class One 4×100-metre relays.

The team of Kerry-Ann Scott, Ashley Williams, Britney Hew and the smooth-stepping Shanta Deer on anchor clocked a fast 45.58 seconds to lower the previous mark of 45.60 seconds set back in 2009. Edwin Allen had to settle for second.

However, the Clarendon-based school won the girls’ Class Four in a new record time of 48.51 seconds, lowering their own previous record of 48.60 seconds by nine-hundredth of a second.

The team which comprised Bethany Bridge, Jessica McLean, Patreece Clarke and Salieci Myles took advantage of their rivals Holmwood Technical’s and Manchester High’s shaky exchanges to streak away with victory.

Earlier in the day, Sashalee Forbes of GC Foster College registered a comfortable victory in the women’s 200-metre dash and erased the old mark of 24.49 seconds set by Yanique Ellington in 2012.

Forbes, running in a wind speed of -0.6 metres per second, clocked 24.08 seconds on her way to victory ahead of teammate Samantha Curtis and Tjipekapora Herunga (24.64sec) of MVP.

Nigel Ellis of St Elizabeth Technical High School (STETHS) also established a new record in the men’s equivalent when he clocked in at 21.10 seconds in a positive wind speed of 1.3 metres per second.

He lowered the previous mark of 21.29 seconds, set by Andrew McCabe in 2013, to win ahead of Travane Morrison (21.15sec) of UTech and Alvin Green (21.61sec) of GC Foster.

The STETHS pair of Dashinelle Dyer and Jauavney James also etched their names in the record books on their way to victories in the men’s Under-18 and Under-20 400-metre hurdles, respectively.

Dyer clocked 55.19 seconds to dismantle the old mark of 59.19 seconds, set by Andre Solomon in 2008, to win ahead of St Jago’s Andy Williams (57.52s) and Lloyd Facey Jr (58.98s) of Mona, who both went under the old mark.

James won his event in 53.63 seconds to lower the previous 54.04 seconds set in 2010 by Jodi Rae Blackwood. Rayan Holmes (53.68s) of Holmwood and Chadrick Brown (53.95s) of Kingston College were the runners-up.

Brown of Kingston College returned to top the 110-metre event in a time of 13.89 seconds against a negative 0.9 metres per second wind speed to just dip below the previous mark of 13.91 seconds set in 2012 by Stefan Russell.

Gabrielle McDonald of Holmwood was even more impressive in the girls’ equivalent as she cruised to victory in a time of 14.07 seconds in a negative wind speed of 0.2 metres per second. She lowered the old mark of 14.18 metres set by Chrisdale McCarthy in 2012.

Patrice Moody (14.14s) of Edwin Allen and Safiya Thompson (14.29s) of St Jago were second and third, respectively.

St Jago’s Alesha Kelly continued her good early-season form when she blew away the field to win the girls’ 400-metre Class One event. Kelly’s time of 54.69 seconds erased the old record of 55.37 seconds set by Monique Spencer in 2013.