If there’s one country that instantly clicks in fan’s minds in track and field events, it’s Jamaica. Over the years, the Caribbean country has produced some of the finest sprinters ranging from Elaine Thompson-Herah to Usain Bolt.

While some attributed their success to dietary staples, a major inter-school event lies at the heart of their success. And it’s none other than ‘The Champs’, which binds the entire nation together in sheer excitement.

What is the tournament that Jamaicans refer to as ‘The Champs’?

During an interaction with Firstpost in 2019, Yohan Blake, who often challenged Bolt, mentioned how his upbringing helped him in becoming a sprinter. He said, “I think the way I was brought up (helped me become successful). We were very, very poor.

“We had to work ourselves out of poverty. Education wasn’t the way to do it. It was just sports. So it was just natural. When we were young we would spend a lot of time outdoors, running with cars.”

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However, Blake credited ‘The Champs’ for kickstarting his career. “”The Champs was where it all started,” said Blake. “The tournament where you became a man from a boy. It’s one of the biggest high school championships in the world.

“If you went there you would see runners of the calibre of Bolt, Fraser-Pryce, Veronica Campbell, Elaine Thompson taking part. All these runners emerged from the Champs.”

The tournament bears the full name ‘Inter-Secondary Schools Boys and Girls Championships’, and is a high-school competition. On first glance, it might not seem like an event which gets a lot of attention since it’s conducted between high schools. However, the National Stadium in Kingston hosts nearly 30,000 people on all four days of the event.

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Usain Bolt got a scholarship in a popular school because of this tournament

In fact, several schools scouted the event along with thousands of Jamaicans to have the best sprinters represent them. One such school was William Knibb Memorial High School, who gave a scholarship to Bolt for his performances in this tournament.

Several Jamaican track and field stars term ‘The Champs’ as a crucial event in their careers. And with more budding track and field stars emerging from their country, expect this tournament to only become more popular every year.

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