The future of Jamaican athletics is shaping up in impressive fashion

They share the same dream: to win a gold medal. Shaquane Gordon, 17, and Carlos Brison-Caines, 15, both students at Calabar High School in Kingston, are also disciplined athletes.

The first was born in Jamaica. The other in Sint Maarten. But the nationality does not matter. During the “Boys and Girls championships”, they will compete under the same green and black colors of their school.

In Jamaica, this national championship, affectionately nicknamed “Champs”, is the sporting event of the year; the one that brings together athletics fans in front of their screens and thousands of others in a packed stadium.

For five days, the national stadium in Kingston comes alive with sprints, jumps and throws. On the track, students from schools all over the country compete in teams. They team up to get the most points to make their school this year’s champion.

Organized at the start of the season, usually before the Easter holidays, the Champs are scrutinized by specialists in the discipline because they offer a first glimpse of those among the juniors who could achieve remarkable performances at the Carifta Games, or even at the world championships in their age group.

The most decorated Jamaicans in history, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Usain Bolt debuted there.

Champs is the first opportunity to show our talent. The atmosphere at the Champs is so close to the atmosphere of the Worlds or the Olympic Games. It shows what it’s like to compete in front of a large audience.

Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce – three-time Olympic 100m champion

Also this year, Jamaica topped the medal table at the Carifta Games held in Grenada. Jamaican athletes won 83 medals, including 44 gold, 23 silver and 16 bronze. They are ahead of the Bahamas (34 medals) and Trinidad and Tobago (27 medals).

Beyond the results, even the records broken, the Champs is also a moment of national community unique in the world.

To the sound of vuvuzelas, whistles and other percussion, Jamaicans, from all walks of life, applaud every attempt, every race.

Enthusiasts carefully note the times achieved by the athletes. Everyone wears clothes and accessories in the colors of their former school.

And the icing on the cake, sprinters like Elaine Thompson-Herah, Asafa Powell or Hansle Parchment, who have almost all been there, come to encourage the young talents.

The latter spare no effort because they know that expert eyes are scrutinizing them in the stands.

Recruiters from American universities come to identify the best to offer them a scholarship. A passport to higher education for most athletes. An open door to a career among professional athletes. In short, a key to a better life…and even a way out of poverty for students from disadvantaged backgrounds.