As the ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys and Girls’ Athletics Championships (Champs) came to a close yesterday, the five-day annual track and field meet has once again drawn the attention of coaches overseas, who are closely monitoring Jamaica’s next generation.
One such coach is Lennox Graham, the associate head coach, with a specialty in hurdles and long sprints, at Clemson University based in South Carolina, United States.
Graham was in attendance at the National Stadium and said he has been recruiting athletes from Champs for almost a decade.
Born in Jamaica and having previously coached at Kingston College (KC) for 14 years, Graham is no stranger to Champs’ high standards, and said the track meet has grown into a global affair.
He explained coaches from overseas have marked the track meet as a must-watch and are constantly scouting and recruiting athletes for their programmes.
“I have been at Clemson for nine years and I am the primary recruiter of Jamaicans for Clemson University. I’m a Jamaican and I coached at Kingston College for 14 years before I left to spend 19 years in the NCAAs,” Graham explained.
“I know the importance of recruiting Jamaicans. I have a high respect for my Jamaican coaches and athletes. Therefore, when we come down here, we know we will get quality student-athletes who have a drive to improve themselves on the track.”
Graham said one of the reasons coaches in the US continue to scout in Jamaica is because of the youth development system that exists on the island.
He explained Champs, and the track meets leading up to Champs throughout the year, ensures Jamaica’s high-school athletes are acclimatised to competitive environments.
He also explained Jamaica coaches are also being trained at a high level, crediting schools like the G.C. Foster College.
“The system of track and field here, the development meets all the way leading up to Champs and the qualification of the coaches through the G.C. Foster system, they bring a lot of science to the whole approach to coaching,” Graham said.
“I have first-hand experience of how great the coaches are and the talent in Jamaica is.”
Graham has worked with several of Jamaica’s top athletes, including two-time women’s 100m hurdles world champion Danielle Williams.
He currently coaches Jamaica’s rising prospect Oneka Wilson, who is the four-time Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) indoor 60m hurdles champion and recently made her international debut at the 2026 World Athletics Indoor Championships.
Graham attends Champs each year to open the door for Jamaican athletes hoping to make the next steps in their careers.
“It’s always a priority for me to come down here each year,” he explained.
“I think when a kid leaves high school in Jamaica, having contributed a lot to their school, they should be equipped to make a choice between going overseas and staying local.”
Graham continued, “As long as they’re getting what they want academically out of going overseas or staying local, then that is all a great opportunity for them.
“Their talent would have given them that opportunity, and obviously we want them to take full charge of it. So that’s why I’m here.”
