Photo: Shericka Jackson, one of the seven UTech athletes that have withdrawn from the Jamaican squad to the second World Relays in the Bahamas.
The second staging of IAAF World Relays scheduled for the Bahamas from May 2-3, will see a Jamaican squad missing some of the nation’s top college stars, after seven of the University of Technology (UTech) athletes withdrew from the team.
It caught the nation by surprise, as the list of absentees includes the fastest woman in the world this year Elaine Thompson, Commonwealth Games medalist Janieve Russell, sprinters Shericka Jackson and Christania Williams, along with their top male sprinters in Kemarley Brown, Julian Forte and Andrew Fisher.
After much speculation as to the reasons behind the move, MVP Club president Bruce James, revealed to the media on Thursday that the withdrawal of student athletes from UTech and MVP is in the best interest of the athletes and the country and that Jamaica Athletic Administrative Association (JAAA) understands and respects such a move.
Most of these athletes were on winning teams at the just concluded Penn Relays, in the USA, and a lot of speculators are saying that the reason given is not enough to suffice, as they opted to participate in less than ideal weather conditions in Philadelphia.
News also broke that nations team named for the men’s 4x800m, has been affected by persons withdrawing as well. The athletes that were down to compete in this event for the first time, were Andre Thomas Jeromia Riley, Jo-Wayne Hibbert ,Ricardo Cunningham , Ricardo Chambers and Kingston College’s Twayne Crooks.
The school boy will now miss out on his much anticipated senior debut.
It was revelaed that JAAA executive members were locked in a meeting trying to find suitable representatives for the initial 44-member contingent that was released.
The Jamaican squad still rests its hopes on the Island’s tops stars in Usain Bolt, Shelly- Ann Fraser-Pryce and Veronica Campbell-Brown who are expected to lead from the front.
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