MONTEGO BAY, St James – The Western Relays will return to a full schedule for the first time since 2019 when the 44th staging of the event is held at G C Foster College of Physical Education and Sport on Saturday, February 11, 2023, it was announced last week.

After a one-year break the Western Relays returned last year with a modified schedule at a meet that was held under COVID-19 protocols mandated by the Government under the Disaster Risk Management Act.

The individual events such as the sprint and 400m hurdles, 800m, 1500m, 3000m, the high and long jumps as well as the sprint medley and 4x200m relays were omitted.

Meet Director Ray Harvey said, however, if the meet that started as COMETS Relays on the grass at Cornwall College was to be of value to the many schools and clubs participating, it was imperative that they restored the full schedule.

“We met as a committee and discussed the way forward. We agreed that if we were to continue to carry out our mandate as a major development meet we had to offer the full range of events that has made Western Relays so attractive to the coaches and athletes,” Harvey told the Jamaica Observer West.

Harvey announced as well that the popular 4x100m relays for preparatory and primary schools would also return, after they were left out last year.

Jamaica College broke the only record that fell at last year’s staging, winning the Men’s 4x800m relay in a new time of 7:36.76 seconds to break the record 7:38.64 seconds set by a Kingston College team in 2019.

Edwin Allen High swept all seven relay races for high school girls for the second time in three stagings; Kingston College won four of the seven high school relays; while Excelsior High and Herbert Morrison also got wins.

Teams from G C Foster and Sprintec dominated the clubs’ section of the meet.