Wolmer’s Boys High School sprinter Gary Card is setting his sights on history as he prepares to dominate the Boys’ Class One 100m and 200m events at the ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys’ and Girls’ Athletics Championships (Champs) this week. The meet, which will see the country’s top junior athletes battling for points for their respective schools over five days, will be held at the National Stadium from March 25-29.

With personal bests of 10.07 seconds in the 100m and 20.50 seconds in the 200m, Card is the favourite to claim gold in both races. However, he has an even bigger goal in mind, breaking the sub-10 and sub-20 barriers on the newly relaid track at the National Stadium.

“I always think I can surprise everybody, and I have trained hard to surprise myself,” Card said confidently. “As long as I keep doing that, anything is possible. Whether it’s sub-10 or sub-20, anything is possible. I would love to do that, so I have been training to do my best. If that’s what happens, then I will be more than happy.”

The competition promises to be fierce, with the best young sprinters in the country vying for glory. However, Card remains undeterred, knowing that running against top-tier talent will only serve as further motivation.

“In this time, everybody is fast and I will be running with the best of the best, so I know they will push me as they push themselves,” he said. “The goal is just to set a new personal best and take home the gold medals.”

Card, 17, is coached by Lloyd Clarke, and says his preparation for Champs has been good because he has been preparing daily and seeing results.

“I have surprised myself at this stage, and it’s just about continuing to do what I’m doing and seeing how much more I can achieve,” he said.