‘A duel worth going miles to see’

Rahnsomn Edwards, hurdles coach at Kingston College, has described the ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys and Girls’ Athletics Championships Class One 400m hurdles clash between Rayon Campbell and Roshawn Clarke of Camperdown High as a duel worth going miles to see. However, although he coaches Campbell, the fastest boy in the field at 49.52 seconds, he figures neither his charge nor the Corporate Area champion Roshawn Clarke of Camperdown High School is a clear favourite for the gold medal.

In addition, Edwards isn’t ruling out a surprise result when the event comes to a climax on Friday evening inside the National Stadium. He thinks the outsider could be Kingston College’s other entry in the event. “When we look at Antonio Forbes, first year Class One stepping up in the class for the first time and giving a good account of himself, 50.48, I think that’s a school record for a first year Class One boy, and it’s a spectacular time.”

Campbell has overcome injury to become the second fastest Jamaican under-20 400 metres hurdler of all time at the Carifta Trials, with Clarke second on 49.85 and Forbes third on 50.48.

“Right now, I think that Roshawn Clarke, 49.8, is as good a favourite as Rayon Campbell, so it is a two-way duel and I wouldn’t say that Campbell is the out and out favourite or I wouldn’t say Roshawn Clarke is the out and out favourite,” the experienced coach said. “It can play anyway,” he elaborated. “Clarke can win. Campbell can win and then the first year Class One man can even pop up with a surprise because with every race, he has been improving, improving, improving. He opened the season with 52, then he came down to 51.9, and then 51.1 and now 50.4, so with him, any number can play and he could be the surprise candidate in this Class One 400 metre hurdles but I can tell you that probably this is the most competitive Class One 400 metres hurdles that we’ll see in a while.”

Just before the Trials, Clarke beat Forbes at the Corporate Area Championships 50.31 to 51.11.

“Usually, one candidate has been way out front of the others and the others are battling for second and third but this year, Campbell versus Clarke, is a duel worth miles going to see,” Edwards said.

Last year, the winning margin was 0.57 of a second in favour of Javier Brown of Jamaica College who is now a member of the Racers Track Club.

Clarke often trains with two-time Olympic semi-finalist Jaheel Hyde. Asked to pick a winner last week, Hyde replied: “I’m not sure. They’re two fantastic athletes but you know, of course, I have to root for my training partner and do whatever I can, you know, to help him to come out victorious on the day but it would be nice to see both of them running faster than what they did before.”

The heats are set for 9 p.m. today with the final scheduled for Friday at 6 p.m.