MONTEGO BAY, St James — Styrmar Livingston made somewhat of a homecoming in late June when he competed in the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association’s (JAAA) National Senior Championships, as he sought a place in the team to the IAAF World Championships that starts in London, England, tomorrow.

The former St James High student, who competed at the ISSA Championships in 2008 running the 800m and 1500m, before migrating with his mother to the United States, was second in the men’s 800m in 1 minute 47.58 seconds after being overtaken in the last 60 metres by GC Foster’s Daniel Glave — both missing the qualifying standard of 1:45.90 seconds.

Livingston, who has a degree in sociology, came into the championships as the favourite to win after lowering his personal best to 1:46.80 seconds this year as a senior at the University of Kansas, and is the only known St James High past student to compete at the finals of the NCAA championships.

He ran at the National Senior Championships last year, but told the Jamaica Observer West, “I was not mentally prepared,” adding, “this year I am much better prepared to have fun with what I am doing and also to run my heart out.”

Livingston almost never made it this far as he decided to stop running after he moved to New York and only returned to track and field at the urging of friends who knew of his talent.

He told the Observer West that he moved around quite a bit while living in Jamaica.

“It was Portmore, then Highgate, and finally Montego Bay where we lived in Providence Heights and I started high school until I was 15 (years old) then moved to Brooklyn.”

In New York he starred at Christopher Columbus High, after he reluctantly returned to the sport, setting high school record for the indoor 500 meters (1:01.68) and the 600 meters (1:17.58) and earning a scholarship to Iowa Western Community College, then to Kansas.

This past season, his final at the college level, he qualified for the NCAA finals in the 800m, finishing 16th overall in 1:48.17