Gibson-McCook Relays, an agent of growth for Jamaican athletics
AS is well established, Jamaica is counted among the great powers of global sprinting.
Part and parcel of that respect has been the achievements of our men’s and women’s relay teams down the decades.
It all goes back more than 70 years to the legendary four: Messrs Arthur Wint, Herb McKenley, George Rhoden, and Les Laing, at a time when Jamaica was still a British colony.
Injury to Mr Wint in the final of the 4x400m at the London Olympics of 1948 robbed Jamaica of a likely medal, possibly gold.
But four years later, 1952, the same quartet covered themselves and their country in glory at the Helsinki Olympics in Finland, winning the event in 3:04.04 (electronic).
In Rome in 1960, with the short-lived West Indies Federation in place, a Jamaican trio of Messrs George Kerr, Keith Gardner, and Mal Spence was part of a regional quartet which captured Olympic bronze.
Few would have thought then that it would take more than two decades for Jamaican athletes to again claim Olympic relay medals.
That came in Los Angeles at the 1984 Olympics when Messrs Albert Lawrence, Donald Quarrie, Gregory Meghoo, and Raymond Stewart took bronze in the 4x100m.
A year earlier, Jamaican women got their first relay medal at a global games. The team of Ms Jaqueline Pusey, Lilieth Hodges, Merlene Ottey and Juliet Cuthbert captured the 4x100m bronze at the inaugural World Athletics Championships in Helsinki.
Since those days, Jamaican relay running has advanced to such an extent that our women and men’s teams will very likely be favoured to medal in both the 4x100m and 4x400m at the Paris Olympics in midyear.
Available evidence suggests that Jamaican relay success over the last 40 years has had much to do with the Gibson McCook Relays, the 47th edition of which takes place today at the National Stadium in St Andrew.
Named in honour of legendary educator Bishop Percival Gibson and acclaimed track and field administrator Mr Neville “Teddy” McCook, who died in 2013, the event first took place in 1973 as the Gibson Relays.
Over time it has commanded growing admiration for being among Jamaica’s better-organised track meets — held annually, and mere weeks ahead of the ultra-popular high school boys’ and girls’ athletics championships.
The latter is scheduled this year for March 19-23.
We hear that more than 2,600 athletes are set to compete in this edition of the Gibson-McCook Relays.
Organisers say that in addition to Jamaica’s top local schools and institutions, high school teams from Canada, Trinidad and Tobago, and St Kitts and Nevis will compete.
We are told that relays apart, the men’s and women’s 1,500m open events will be contested for the first time, replacing the customary 800m.
Mr Ryan Peralto of the organising committee is reported as saying that while there are “a lot of last-minute items that need to be sorted out… we are in good shape…”
We trust and hope that all goes well today and that the Gibson-McCook Relays will continue to thrive for the greater glory of Jamaica’s track programme.