Immaculate on the right track for Champs 2026

Head coach of Immaculate Conception High's track and field team, Franz Forde, says his athletes are beginning to hit their strides as they continue preparations for this year's ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys and Girls' Athletics Championships (Champs), which will be staged March 24-28 at the National Stadium.

While noting that the season is still in its early stages, Forde said his girls have been showing encouraging form in the development meets they have contested so far, leaving the coaching staff pleased with their progress.

"Things are definitely coming along. It is going to be a season of challenges but we are up for the challenges," said Forde. "The girls are in good spirits and I just want to ensure that everybody is healthy. Praise be to God they are currently healthy and we just want to keep them that way.

"The girls are definitely coming out and they are performing, we just had a development meet at Jamaica College last Saturday and we have seen girls coming out getting personal best times, getting season's best and they are pretty excited because it was a good meet and we actually saw what we wanted to see," he added.

Immaculate accumulated 100 points to finish fifth at last year's Championships, which were won by Hydel High with 277 points. Forde highlighted that the objective this season is to at least maintain a top-five finish or better that performance.

"We just want to go out and have fun. The girls are aware of our aims and so we just want everybody to go out and perform at their best," Forde said.

"We are getting the support that we need to attain that goal and so everybody just needs to go out there and believe in what the coaches are saying and once they do that then they will be quite fine. Last year, we came fifth with 100 points and this year we are just going out there to do everything that we need to do in order to remain the top five or even better that."

The Constant Spring Road-based school has also been strengthened by the addition of talented sprinter Kaysian Sewell, who transferred from Wolmer's Girls at the end of last season. Forde noted that Sewell has fitted in well with the group and that he is pleased with her progress so far.

"She is fitting in quite well and she is doing the 400 metres. She ran a season's best in the 400 metres and a personal best in the 200 metres and she ran on the 4x400 metres relay team last Saturday and we are happy to see where she is at now and so we are pretty pleased," Forde noted.