MILO Western relay 2014 launched

The 36^th staging of MILO^® Western Relays was launched on Wednesday, (January 22^nd ) at The Wexford Hotel in Montego Bay.  The meet runs off next week Saturday, February 8,  at the Montego Bay Sports Complex at midday. It will end under lights at 9:00 pm. Over 100 teams are expected to compete this year. According to chairman of the organizing committee, Ray Harvey athletes from primary, prep and secondary schools, clubs and institutions including the entire MVP Track Club, GC Foster College, Sprintec, Swept, UTech, UWI, new comers Cameron Blazers and Comets, will compete this year.  He also said that the excitement of the meet extended to the battle of the relays which will attract prize monies for the top four positions in the amounts of $30,000; $15,000; $10,000 and $5,000 for the top four finishers.  The meet patron is Maurice Wilson – former head coach of Holmwood, lecturer at GC Foster College and head coach of the national team. Consumer Marketing Manager at Nestlé with responsibility for MILO, Karen Willis-Mussington announced this year’s sponsorship of six million dollars ($6M).  She congratulated the organizers for staging what she called a first class, sought-after event year after year.  A special grant of two hundred thousand dollars ($200,000) was made to Holmwood Technical in recognition of the school’s achievement in sports and particularly track and field.  The grant was made to celebrate  Nestlé sponsorship of MILOWestern Relays for twenty (20) consecutive years. Former Olympic 400mH record holder Deon Hemmings-McCatty delivered a timely motivational speech at the launch.  She shared her own life experiences of highs and lows to encourage the athletes “not to fear failure as there is no shortcut to anything good in life.” In photo, Yanique Thompson of Holmwood Technical – one of three junior awardees of this year’s MILO Western Relays receives a gift from Karen Willis-Mussington, consumer marketing manager at Nestle with responsibility for MILO.   The presentation was made at the launch of the 36th MILO Western Relays at the Wexford Hotel in Montego Bay.  Thompson ran a world junior record in the 100mH at last year’s World Youth Champs in a time of 12:94 to become the first junior to cover the obstacle race in less than 13 sec.