While their primary focus remains a successful defence of their ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys’ Championships title, Kingston College (KC) Head Coach Leaford Grant anticipates a highly competitive performance from his team at this year’s Corporate Area Championships.

The two-day championships will take place on Friday and Saturday at the Richard Ashenheim Stadium, located on the grounds of Champs rivals Jamaica College (JC).

Alongside KC, the defending champions, the meet has also attracted strong participation for high-calibre teams such as JC, Calabar, Wolmer’s, Excelsior, St George’s College, and Meadowbrook.

KC secured 427 points to claim last year’s title, surpassing rivals Calabar with 415 points and JC with 389.5 and Grant noted that while their preparation is geared towards the March main event — Champs 2024— they are looking to make a statement at the Corporate Area Championships.

“We are preparing for the Boys’ and Girls’ Championships, which is the main championship, so we are keeping focus on the bigger prize,” Grant told the
Jamaica Observer.

“But every single year, that is what we do. We have a Corporate Area team, and our Boys’ and Girls’ Championships team are entirely different teams. However, the boys that we are sending out for the Corporate Area Championships, we expect them to be competitive,” he added.

Grant emphasised that if competitiveness leads to winning the title, it’s a positive outcome, noting that this week’s event presents an opportunity for all the boys on his team to impress the coaching staff and secure their spots on the school’s team for the Boys’ Championships next month.

“The boys are looking forward to these championships, especially those who have been selected to compete. So you can expect good performances from us all around,” he stated.

The meet, which will be hosted at the venue for the first time, was originally scheduled for the National Stadium but a switched was forced due to the unavailability of that facility.

Despite JC having the home advantage, Grant highlighted that his charges are not bothered by this, and that they are ready and eager to perform.

“They have home turf advantage because this is where they train and this is where they do their jumps, so they are very familiar with their own turf. Kudos to them,” Grant said. “They have the home crowd advantage but we are looking to go out and give a good account of ourselves.”

Excelsior will be looking to defend the girls’ title after a dominant showing last year. The Eagles tallied 403 points to easily dismiss the challenges of Wolmer’s Girls (310 points) and Immaculate, 280.