12 RAYMOND GRAHAM/ Gleaner Writer MUSCHETT HIGH will make their first appearance at the Penn Relays this year after performing outstandingly so far this season, with Shanoya Douglas and Johan-Romaldo Smythe leading the way. THE THREE-DAY carnival, which begins on Thursday at Franklin Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America (USA), has Muschett participating in the 4x100 and 4x400 metres relays for both boys and girls. Head coach Garth Smythe is excited about the school’s first appearance at the long-standing, popular meet. “The athletes and I are very excited about going to the Penn Relays, and we are not going there to be spectators, as we expect all the teams to put on a show,” said Smythe. It has been a breakout season for Smythe’s son, Johan-Romaldo, and Douglas, the most outstanding girl at this year’s ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys and Girls’ Championships (Champs) in March. Both scored wins in the Class Two 200 metres and minutes later, had a very emotional scene, where both athletes were embraced by coach Smythe on the cycle track. Both athletes, along with multi-eventer Osmond Holt, went on to represent Jamaica at the Carifta Games over the Easter weekend in St George’s, Grenada, where Douglas was in imperious form, after beating a very strong field to capture the under-20 girls’ 200 metres. Four of Smythe’s athletes, including Douglas and his son, after the Penn Relays, will journey to Landover, Maryland, USA, the following week to participate in the East Coast Invitational Showcase, which will have big clashes among high school athletes from Jamaica and the USA. Muschett look to put on a show at Penn Relays Muschett High School’s Shanoya Douglas. THE FINAL day of competition at this year’s staging of the 118th Penn Relays in Philadelphia should see another victory for a Jamaican high school in the boys’ 4x100 metres. Jamaican teams have dominated the Championships of America 4x100m and have won it every year the meet has been held since 2005. The last American high school team to win the event was Glanville High of Ohio in 2004. Holmwood Technical won the event in 2005 and this year Jamaica College (JC) will be hoping to defend the title they won ahead of St Elizabeth Technical in 2023. Camperdown High who won their last title in 2022 after a superb anchor leg from 400m hurdles specialist Roshawn Clarke are the Jamaican high school with most wins in the event. The east Kingston-based school has nine titles, the same as Local schools set to dominate boys’ 4x100m at Penns Roshawn Clarke competing in the semifinals of the 400-metre hurdles at the 2023 World Athletics Championships inside the National Athletics Centre in Budapest, Hungary on August 21, 2023. GLADSTONE TAYLOR/MULTIMEDIA PHOTO EDITOR Please see PENNS, 14 THE WEEKLY GLEANER | APRIL 11 - MAY 11, 2024 | www.jamaica-gleaner.com | PENN RELAY FEATURE
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