PHILADELPHIA, USA — The Jamaican high school boys will start their first Penn Relays quest in three years when the 126th staging continues today at Franklin Field in Philadelphia.

St Jago, in the high school boys’ 4x100m, and Calabar High, in the 4x400m and 4x800m, will defend relay titles, but will be challenged by Kingston College and Jamaica College primarily.

For the first time in more than a decade, a Jamaican high school will be represented in the high school boys’ mile run when Jamaica College’s middle distance star J’voughnn Blake lines up, while there will be competitors in the jumps and throwing events.

Today the athletes will be hoping for better weather after Thursday’s cold conditions, but the boys will hope to bring some Caribbean heat to the track.

Only the preliminaries of the 4x100m and the 4x800m will be held today, with the preliminaries and finals of the 4x400m set for Saturday’s final day of competition.

Calabar High have won the last two 4x800m titles, but Jamaica College, who have run 7:24.30 minutes to win at the Gibson Relays at the end of February, two weeks after they ran 7:36.76 at Western Relays, should be the favourites here.

The record 7:26.09 seconds set in 2018 by Calabar High could also be under threat.

Kingston College lost on both occasions to Jamaica College and will be biding their time, while St Jago High are also set to participate.

Fourteen Jamaican schools are down to contest the 4x100m here, and St Jago, the winners at Gibson Relays, and Jamaica College, winners at the Inter-secondary Schools Sports Association Championships, could square off in the final on Saturday.

Edwin Allen High, Calabar High, Camperdown High, Excelsior High, Tacius Golding, Kingston College, Herbert Morrison, Petersfield High, Rhodes Hall, St Catherine High, St Elizabeth Technical, and Wolmer’s Boys’ are also down to compete.

Blake, who is expected to play a big part in the Jamaica College 4×800-m quest to win their first title since 1999, and who has lowered his 800m best to 1:47.62 seconds and the 1500m to 3:53.38 seconds, will tackle the mile run (1600m) for which he is ranked number eight.

Edwin Allen’s Champs Class 1 winner Trevor Gunzell of Edwin Allen is ranked number one in the discus throw, with Jamaica College’s Racquil Broderick ranked number two and Kingston College’s Altwayne Bedward at number four.

Western Champs gold medallist Yekini Bowen of Petersfield High and Liam Elliott of Munro College are also down to compete.

Champs winner Christopher Young of Edwin Allen is the number one ranked in the shot put, but he will go up against Calabar High’s Carifta Games record holder Kobe Lawrence, while Denz Simmonds of Calabar High, Roshaun Bienetzens of Wolmer’s Boys’, and Shamar Reid of Jamaica College are expected to take part.

World Under-20 leader Jaydon Hibbert, who has swept all before him this season, will start favourites in the triple jump after jumping 16.66m to win at Champs and 16.46m at the Carifta Games.

Former Jamaica College jumper Obrien Wasome’s record 16.01m set in 2016 could be in danger.

Jamaica College’s Rajaun Ricketts and Wolmer’s Boys’ Malik Drummond are also entered.

Kingston College’s Aaron McKenzie leads the Jamaican high jumpers which will include the St Elizabeth Technical High School pair of Dejone Raymond and Tierick Smith as well as Javon Bowen of Jamaica College and Michael Neil of Jonathan Grant High.

Jamaica College’s Uroy Ryan leads the charge in the long jump that will see Royan Walters of Petersfield High, Demario Prince of St Jago High, and Renaldino Medwinter of Excelsior High.

Two Jamaican high schoolers, Dorian Charles of Jamaica College and Jaeden Teka of Kingston College, are down for the javelin throw for which world Under-20 leader and Carifta Games record holder Keyshawn Strachan of St John’s High in The Bahamas is the favourite.

— Paul Reid